I 


c 


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CARLETON 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 

Rabbi  Ernest  R,  Trattner 


"The  brigade  goes  down  the  road  upon  the  run. 


MY  DAYS  AND  NIGHTS 


BATTLE-FIELD. 


CHARLES   CARLETON   COFFIN, 

>3THOB  OF  "STORY  OF  LIBERTY,"  "BOYS  OP  '76,"  "  OUR  NEW  WAY 

MOCND  THE  WORLD,"  "  FOLLOWING  THE  FLAG," 

"WUJiirNQ  HXS  WAY,"  ETC. 


BOSTON 
DANA   ESTES  AND   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  2887, 
BY  ESTES  AND  LAUKIAI 


CONTENTS. 


Age 

To  THE  YOUTH  OP  THE  UHTTBD  STATM  .       .  1 

CHAP.  I.    How  THE  REBELLION  CAMK  ABOUT     ...  • 

II.    THB  GATHERING  OF  A  GEKAT  ARMT        ...  29 

ffl.    THE  BATTLE  OF  BULL  Ruir    .  87 

IV.    THB  CAPTUBK  OF  FOKT  HBNBY  08 

V.      THB  CAPTURE  OF  FOBT   DOMKLSOJT           ...  89 

Thursday      .  M 

Friday       ...                        .        .  104 

Saturday      ...              Ill 

VI.    THE  SURKKNDEK 182 

VH.    THB  AKMT  AT  PITTBBUBO  LANDIWQ        .       .       .168 
Vin     THE  BATTLE  OF  PITTSBURG  LAHDIXO. 

From  Daybreak  till  Ten  o'clock  171 

From  Ten  o'clock  till  Four 187 

Sunday  Evening 2C6 

Monday 21« 

H.    EVACUATION  OF  COLUMBUS 239 

X.     OPERATIONS  AT  NEW  MADRID  ...                ,  287 

XI.    OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND  NUMBER  TEJT  ...  247 

XH.    FROM  FORT  PILLOW  TO  MEMPHIS     .        ,        .        .281 

Xm.    THE  NAVAL  FIGHT  AT  MEMPHIS  ....  Ml 


2029212 


LIST   OF  DIAGRAMS. 

ft»e 

Bofl  Bnn  Battle-Gronnd .60 

The  Fight  at  Blackburn's  Ford 62 

The  Country  around  Fort  Henry  and  Fort  Donekon  ...  69 

Fort  Henry HI 

Fort  Donelson »6 

The  Attack  on  McClernand     ...      v    V    .  114 

The  Second  Engagement     .        .        .     ;V  "  "V      £••''           •  123 

The  Charge  of  Lanman's  Brigade 128 

Pittebnrg  Landing  and  Vicinity 166 

Disposition  of  Troops  at  the  Beginning  of  the  Battle      .       .  173 

The  Fight  at  the  Ravine 208 

A  Rebel  Torpedo      .       .       .       «..     *       *.      *       .       .  Ml 

bland  No.  10 239 

A  Mortar  .        .       .       .    '  ^       .      v      .       .       .        .  248 

Ths  Naval  Fight  at  Memphis                                     ...  IN 


MILITARY   TERMS. 


Abatis.  —  Trees  cut  down,  their  branches  made  sharp,  aad  ut«S 
to  block  a  road,  or  placed  in  front  of  fortifications. 

Advance,  —  Any  portion  of  an  army  which  is  in  front  of  ths 
rest. 

Aides-de-camp.  —  Officers  selected  by  general  officers  to  assist 
them  in  their  military  duties. 

Ambulance*.  —  Carriages  for  the  sick  and  wounded. 

Battery.  —  A  battery  consists  of  one  or  more  pieces  of  artillery. 
A  full  battery  of  field  artillery  consists  of  six  cannon 

Battalion.  —  A  battalion  consists  of  two  or  more  companies,  but 
less  than  a  regiment 

Bombardment.  —  Throwing  shot  or  shells  into  a  fort  or  earth- 
work. 

Canister.  —  A  tin  cylinder  filled  with  cast-iron  shot  When  the 
gun  is  fired,  the  cylinder  bursts  and  scatters  the  shot  over  a  wide 
surface  of  ground. 

Caisson.  —  An  artillery  carnage,  containing  ammunition  for 
immediate  use. 

Casemate.  —  A  covered  chamber  in  fortifications,  protected  by 
earth  from  shot  and  shells. 

Columbiad.  —  A  cannon,  invented  by  Colonel  Bomford,  of  very 
large  calibre,  used  for  throwing  shot  or  shells.  A  ten-inch  colum 
biad  weighs  15,400  pounds,  and  is  ten  and  a  half  feet  long. 

Column.  —  A  position  in  which  troops  may  be  placed.  A  col 
umr  en  route  is  the  order  in  which  they  march  from  one  part  of  the 
country  to  another.  A  column  of  attack  is  the  order  in  which 
they  go  into  battle. 

Countersign. — A  particular  word  given  out  by  the  highest  officer 


nil  MILITARY   TERMS. 

in  command,  tntrarted  to  guards,  picket*,  and  wntinett,  and  I* 
those  who  may  hare  occasion  to  pass  them. 

Embranrt.  —  An  opening  cat  in  embankments  for  the  mnxalas 
of  the  cannon. 

EnJOatk.  _  To  sweep  the  whole  length  of  the  inside  of  a  fbrti- 
flcation  or  a  line  of  troops. 

Field -Work*. — An  embankment  of  earth  excavated  from  • 
ditch  surrounding  a  town  or  a  fort. 

Flank.  —  The  right  or  left  side  of  a  body  of  men,  or  place. 
When  it  is  said  that  the  enemy  by  a  flank  march  outflanked  our 
right  wing,  it  is  understood  that  he  pnt  himself  on  our  rignt 
hand.  When  two  armies  stand  face  to  face  the  right  flank  of  one 
is  opposite  the  left  flank  of  the  other. 

File.  —  Two  soldiers,  —  a  front  rank  and  a  rear  rank  man. 

Fuse.  —  A  slow-burning  composition  in  shells,  set  on  fire  by  the 
flash  of  the  cannon.  The  length  of  the  fuse  is  proportioned  to 
the  intended  range  of  the  shells. 

Grape.  —  A  large  number  of  small  balls  tied  up  in  a  bag. 

Howitzer.  —  A  cannon  of  large  calibre  and  short  range,  com- 
monly used  for  throwing  shells,  grape,  and  canister. 

Limber.  —  The  fore  part  of  a  field  gun-carriage,  to  which  the 
horses  are  attached.  It  has  two  wheels,  and  carries  ammunition 
die  same  as  the  caisson. 

Pontoon.  —  A  bridge  of  boats  for  crossing  streams,  which  may 
be  carried  in  wagons. 

Parabola.  —  The  curve  described  by  a  shell  in  the  air. 

Range.  —  The  distance  to  which  shot,  shells,  or  bullets  may  b« 
fired. 

Reveille.  —  The  first  dnun-beat  in  the  morning. 

Rifle-Pitt.  —  Excavations  in  the  earth  or  other  shelter  for  riie- 
?ien. 

Spherical  Cote.— A.  thin  shell  of  cast-iron  filled  with  outlets, 
with  a  fuse,  and  a  charge  of  powder  sufficient  to  burst  it.  It  con- 
tains about  ninety  bullets. 

Wingt.  —  The  right  and  left  divisions  of  a  body  of  troops,  di» 
anguished  from  the  centre. 


MI    DAYS   AND    NIGHTS 

ON  THE  BATTLE-FIELD. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

TO   THE   YOUTH    OF   THB    UNITED    STATES. 


TN  my  boyhood,  my  young  friends,  I  loved  to 
•*-  sit  beside  my  grandfather  and  listen  to  his 
stories  of  Bunker  Hill  and  Saratoga,  —  how  he 
and  his  comrades  stood  upon  those  fields  and 
fought  for  their  country.  I  could  almost  see 
the  fight  and  hear  the  cannon's  roar,  the  rattle 
of  the  musketry,  and  the  shouts  of  victory.  They 
won  their  independence,  and  established  the  best 
government  the  world  ever  saw.  But  there  are 
men  in  this  country  who  hate  that  government, 
who  have  plotted  against  it,  and  who  have  brought 
about  the  present  Great  Rebellion  to  destroy  it. 
I  have  witnessed  some  of  the  battles  which  have 
been  fought  during  this  war,  although  I  have  nol 


INTRODUCTORY. 


been  a  soldier,  as  my  grandfather  was,  and  I  shall 
try,  in  this  volume,  to  picture  those  scenes,  and 
give  correct  descriptions  of  the  ground,  the  march- 
ing of  the  troops,  the  positions  they  occupied,  and 
other  things,  that  you  may  understand  how  your 
father,  or  your  brothers,  or  your  friends,  fought 
for  the  dear  old  flag. 


CHAPTER    I. 

HOW   THB    REBELLION    CAJTB   ABOTTT. 

Fountain-Heads. Th«  gbraun  of  HIM. 

MANY  of  you,  my  young  readers,  have  seen 
the  springs  which  form  the  trickling  rivu- 
lets upon  the  hillsides.  How  small  they  are 
You  can  almost  drink  them  dry.  But  in  the 
valley  the  silver  threads  become  a  brook,  which 
widens  to  a  river  rolling  to  the  far-off  ocean.  So 
is  it  with  the  ever-flowing  stream  of  time.  The 
things  which  were  of  small  account  a  hundred 
years  ago  are  powerful  forces  to-day.  Great 
events  do  not  usually  result  from  one  cause, 
but  from  many  causes.  To  ascertain  how  the 
rebellion  came  about,  let  us  read  history. 

Nearly  three  hundred  years  ago,  when  Eliza 
beth  was  Queen  of  England,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
sailed  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  explore  the 
newly  discovered  Continent  of  America.  Sir 
Walter  was  a  sailor,  a  soldier,  and  one  of  the 
gentleman  attendants  of  the  Queen.  He  was 
so  courteous  and  gallant  that  he  once  threw  his 
gold-laced  scarlet  cloak  upon  the  ground  for  a 
mat,  that  the  Queen  might  not  step  her  royal 


HOW   THE  REBELLION   CAME  ABOUT. 


foot  in  the  mud.  At  that  time  America  was  an 
unexplored  wilderness.  The  old  navigators  had 
sailed  along  the  coasts,  hut  the  smooth  waters 
of  the  great  lakes  and  rivers  had  never  been 
ruffled  by  the  oars  of  European  boatmen. 

Sir  Walter  found  a  beautiful  land,  shaded  by 
grand  old  forests  ;  also  fertile  fields,  waving  with 
corn  and  a  broad-leaved  plant  with  purple  flowers, 
which  the  Indians  smoked  in  pipes  of  flint  and 
vermilion  stone  brought  from  the  cliffs  of  the 
great  Missouri  River. 

The  sailors  learned  to  smoke,  and  when  Sir 
Walter  returned  to  England  they  puffed  their 
pipes  in  the  streets.  The  people  were  amazed, 
and  wondered  if  the  sailors  were  on  fire.  So 
tobacco  began  to  be  used  in  England.  That  was 
in  1584.  We  shall  see  that  a  little  tobacco-smoke 
whiffed  nearly  three  hundred  years  ago  has  had 
an  influence  in  bringing  about  the  rebellion. 

Twenty  years  rolled  by.  London  merchants 
dreamed  of  wealth  in  store  for  them  in  Virginia. 
A  company  was  formed  to  colonize  the  country. 
Many  of  the  merchants  had  spendthrift  sons,  who 
were  also  idle  and  given  to  bad  habits.  These 
young  fellows  thought  it  degrading  to  work.  In 
those  Western  woods  across  the  ocean,  along  the 
great  rivers  and  upon  the  blue  mountains,  they 
saw  in  imagination  a  wild,  roving,  reckless  life. 
They  could  hunt  the  wild  beasts.  They  could 


HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT. 


The  tint  Colonist*. Apprenticed  Men. 

live  without  the  restraints  of  society.  They  had 
heard  wonderful  stories  of  exhaustless  mines  of 
gold  and  silver.  There  they  could  get  rich,  and 
that  was  the  land  for  them. 

A  vessel  with  five  hundred  colonists  was  fitted 
out.  There  were  only  sixteen  men  of  the  five 
hundred  accustomed  to  work ;  the  others  called 
themselves  gentlemen  and  cavaliers.  They  set- 
tled at  Jamestown.  They  found  no  rich  gold- 
mines, and  wealth  was  not  to  be  had  on  the 
fertile  plains  without  labor.  Not  knowing  how 
to  cultivate  the  soil,  and  hating  work,  they  had 
a  hard  time.  They  suffered  for  want  of  food. 
Many  died  from  starvation.  Yet  more  of  the 
same  indolent  class  joined  the  colony,  —  young 
men  who  had  had  rows  with  tutors  at  school,  and 
who  had  broken  the  heads  of  London  watchmen 
in  their  midnight  revels.  A  historian  of  those 
times  says  that  "  they  were  fitter  to  breed  a  riot 
than  found  a  colony." 

The  merchants,  finding  that  a  different  class 
of  men  was  needed  to  save  the  colony  from  ruin, 
sent  over  poor  laboring  men,  who  were  appren- 
ticed to  their  sons.  Thus  the  idle  cavaliers  were 
kept  from  starvation.  Instead  of  working  them- 
selves, they  directed  the  poor,  hard-working  men, 
and  pocketed  the  profits. 

Smoking  began  to  be  fashionable  in  England. 
Lawyers  in  big  wigs,  ministers  in  black  gowns, 


6  HOW  THE  REBELLION   CAME   ABOUT. 

Baying  Wire*.  TUeret  mod  Y«r»bond*.  Negro  BUrei. 

merchants  seated  in  their  counting-houses,  ladies 
in  silks  and  satins,  all  took  to  this  habit  of  the 
North  American  Indians.  Tobacco  was  in  de- 
mand. Every  ship  from  America  was  freighted 
with  it.  The  purple-flowered  plant  grew  luxuri- 
antly in  the  fields  of  Virginia,  and  so  through 
the  labor  of  the  poor  men  the  indolent  cavaliers 
became  rich. 

As  there  were  no  women  in  the  colony,  some 
of  the  cavaliers  sent  over  to  England  and  bought 
themselves  wives,  paying  a  hundred  pounds  of 
tobacco  for  a  wife.  Others  married  Indian  wives. 

The  jails  of  London  were  crowded  with  thieves 
and  vagabonds.  They  had  committed  crime  and 
lost  their  freedom.  To  get  rid  of  them,  the  magis- 
trates sent  several  ship-loads  to  Virginia,  where 
they  were  sold  to  the  planters  as  servants  and 
laborers.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  there  were 
distinct  classes  in  the  colony, — men  having  rights 
and  men  without  rights,  —  men  owning  labor  and 
men  owing  labor,  —  men  with  power  and  men 
without  power,  —  all  of  which  had  something  to 
do  in  bringing  about  the  rebellion. 

In  August,  1620,  a  Dutch  captain  sailed  up 
James  River  with  twenty  negroes  on  board  his 
ship,  which  he  bad  stolen  from  Africa.  The 
planters  purchased  them,  not  as  apprentices,  but 
as  slaves.  The  captain,  having  made  a  profitable 
voyage,  sailed  for  Africa  to  steal  more.  Thus  the 


HOW  THE  BEBELLKN   CAME  ABOUT.  1 

"'H-E<.  EUnUUoM.  Public  Offloen. 

African  slave-trade  in  America  began,  which  be- 
came the  main  fountain-head  and  grand  cause  of 
the  rebellion. 

The  Virginia  planters  wanted  large  plantations. 
Some  of  them  had  influence  with  King  James, 
and  obtained  grants  of  immense  estates,  contain- 
ing thousands  of  acres.  All  the  while  the  com- 
mon people  of  England  were  learning  to  smoke, 
snuff,  and  chew  tobacco,  and  across  the  English 
Channel  the  Dutch  burghers,  housewives,  and 
farmers  were  learning  to  puff  their  pipes.  A 
pound  of  tobacco  was  worth  three  shillings. 
The  planters  grew  richer,  purchased  more  land 
and  more  slaves,  while  the  apprenticed  men, 
who  had  no  money  and  no  means  of  obtaining 
any,  of  course  could  not  become  land-owners. 
Thus  the  three  classes  of  men  —  planters,  pool 
white  men,  and  slaves  —  became  perpetually 
distinct. 

By  the  charter  which  the  company  of  London 
merchants  had  received  from  the  King,  owners 
of  land  only  were  allowed  to  have  a  voice  in  the 
management  of  public  affairs.  They  only  could 
hold  office.  A  poor  man  could  not  have  anything 
to  do  with  enacting  or  administering  the  laws. 
In  1705,  a  historian,  then  writing,  says :  — 

"  There  are  men  with  great  estates,  who  take 
care  to  supply  the  poor  with  goods,  and  who  are 
•are  to  keep  them  always  in  debt,  and  conse 


HOW  THE  REBELLION   CAME  ABOUT. 
Ktoh  Men  In  Pomr.  How  they  look  upon  Labor. 


quently  dependent.  Out  of  this  number  are 
chosen  the  Council,  Assembly,  Justices  of  the 
Peace,  and  other  officers,  who  conspire  together 
to  wield  power."* 

Thus  a  few  rich  men  managed  all  the  affairs 
of  the  colony.  They  were  able  to  perpetuate 
their  power,  to  hand  these  privileges  to  their 
sons,  through  successive  generations. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  many  men  and 
women  in  Virginia  who  consider  themselves  as 
belonging  to  the  first  families,  because  they  are 
descendants  of  those  who  settled  the  country. 
The  great  estates  have  passed  from  the  family 
name,  —  squandered  by  the  dissolute  and  indo- 
lent sons.  They  are  poor,  but  very  proud,  and 
call  themselves  noble-born.  They  look  with  con- 
tempt upon  a  man  who  works  for  a  living.  I 
saw  a  great  estate,  which  was  once  owned  by  one 
of  these  proud  families,  near  the  Antietam  bat- 
tle-field, but  spendthrift  sons  have  squandered 
it,  and  there  is  but  little  left.  The  land  is  worn 
out,  but  the  owner  of  the  remaining  acres,  — 
poor,  but  priding  himself  upon  his  high  birth, 
looking  with  haughty  contempt  upon  men  who 
work,  —  in  the  summer  of  1860,  day  after  day, 
was  seen  sitting  upon  his  horse,  with  an  umbrella 
over  his  head  to  keep  off  the  sun,  overseeing-  hit 
two  negro  women,  who  were  hoeing  corn  ! 


HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT. 


Pirate,  welcomed  at  OharlMton. 


All  of  these  springs  which  started  in  Virginia 
tinged,  entered  into,  and  gave  color  to  society 
throughout  the  South.  There  were  great  estates, 
privileged  classes,  a  few  rich  and  many  poor 
men.  There  were  planters,  poor  white  men,  and 
slaves. 

In  those  old  times  pirates  sailed  the  seas,  plun- 
dering and  destroying  ships.  They  swarmed 
around  the  West  India  Islands,  and  sold  their 
spoils  to  the  people  of  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina. There,  for  several  years,  the  freebooters 
refitted  their  ships,  and  had  a  hearty  welcome. 
But  the  King's  ships  of  war  broke  up  the  busi- 
ness, and  commerce  again  had  peaceful  possession 
of  the  ocean. 

These  things  gave  direction  to  the  stream,  in- 
fluencing the  development  and  growth  of  the  col- 
onies, which  became  States  in  the  Union,  and 
which  seceded  in  1861. 

While  the  Dutch  captain  was  bargaining  off  his 
negroes  to  the  planters  in  1620  at  Jamestown, 
another  vessel  was  sailing  from  Plymouth  har- 
bor, in  England,  for  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic. 
Years  before,  in  the  little  town  of  Scrooby,  a  man 
with  a  long  white  beard,  by  the  name  of  Clifton, 
had  preached  what  he  called  a  pure  religious  doc- 
trine. Those  who  went  to  hear  him,  and  who 
believed  what  he  preached,  soon  came  to  be 


10      HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT. 

The  PnrlUM  at  Oapa  Cod.  Democratic  OorernmenL 

called  Puritans.  Most  of  them  were  poor,  hard- 
working English  farmers  and  villagers.  There 
was  much  discussion,  controversy,  bigotry,  and 
bitterness  in  religion  at  that  time,  and  these 
poor  men  were  driven  from  county  to  county, 
till  finally  they  were  obliged  to  flee  to  Holland 
to  escape  persecution  and  save  their  lives.  King 
James  himself  was  one  of  their  most  bitter  perse- 
cutors. He  declared  that  he  would  "  harry  every 
one  of  them  out  of  England."  After  remaining 
in  Holland  several  years,  they  obtained  permission 
of  the  King  to  sail  for  North  America. 

On  a  December  morning  the  vessel,  after  five 
months'  tossing  upon  the  ocean,  lay  at  anchor  in 
the  harbor  of  Cape  Cod.  Those  on  board  had 
no  charter  of  government.  They  were  not  men 
who  had  had  midnight  revels  in  London,  but 
men  who  had  prayers  in  their  families  night 
and  morning,  and  who  met  for  religious  worship 
on  the  Sabbath.  They  respected  law,  loved  order, 
and  knew  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  have  a 
form  of  government  in  the  colony.  They  assem- 
bled in  the  cabin  of  the  ship,  and,  after  prayer, 
signed  their  names  to  an  agreement  to  obey  all 
the  rules,  regulations,  and  laws  which  might  be 
enacted  by  the  majority.  Then  they  elected  a 
governor,  each  man  having  a  voice  in  the  elec- 
tion. It  was  what  might  be  called  the  first  town- 
meeting  hi  America.  Thus  democratic  liberty  and 


HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT. 


Snail  Parma. Common  BchjoU. 

Christian  worship,  independent  of  forms  estab- 
lished by  kings  and  bishops,  had  a  beginning  in 
this  country. 

The  climate  was  cold,  the  seasons  short,  the  soil 
sterile,  and  so  the  settlers  of  Cape  Cod  were  obliged 
to  work  hard  to  obtain  a  living.  In  consequence, 
they  and  their  descendants  became  active,  indus- 
trious, and  energetic.  Thus  they  laid  the  founda- 
tions for  thrift  and  enterprise.  They  did  not  look 
upon  labor  as  degrading,  but  as  ennobling.  They 
passed  laws,  that  men  able  to  work  should  not  be 
idle.  They  were  not  rich  enough  to  own  great 
estates,  but  each  man  had  his  own  little  farm. 
There  was,  therefore,  no  landed  aristocracy,  such 
as  was  growing  into  power  in  Virginia.  They 
were  not  able  to  own  labor  to  any  great  extent. 
There  were  a  few  apprenticed  men,  and  some 
negro  slaves,  but  the  social  and  political  influ- 
ences were  all  different  from  those  in  the  South- 
ern colonies.  The  time  came  when  apprenticed 
men  were  released  from  service,  and  the  slaves 
set  free. 

These  hard-working  men  did  not  wish  to  have 
their  children  grow  up  in  ignorance.  In  order, 
therefore,  that  every  child  might  become  «i  in- 
telligent citizen  and  member  of  society,  they  es- 
tablished common  schools  and  founded  colleges. 
In  1640,  just  twenty  years  after  the  landing 
at  Plymouth,  they  had  a  printing-prees  at  Cam 
bridge. 


12  HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME   ABOUT. 


What  Oc 


The  cavaliers  of  Virginia,  instead  of  establish- 
ing schools,  sent  their  sons  to  England  to  be 
educated,  leaving  the  children  of  the  poor  men 
to  grow  up  in  ignorance.  They  did  not  want 
them  to  obtain  an  education.  In  1670,  fifty  years 
after  the  Dutch  captain  had  bartered  off  his  ne- 
groes for  tobacco,  —  fifty  years  from  the  election 
of  the  first  governor  by  the  people  in  the  cabin 
of  the  Mayflower, — the  Bang  appointed  Commis- 
sioners of  Education,  who  addressed  letters  to 
the  governors  of  the  colonies  upon  the  subject. 
The  Governor  of  Connecticut  replied,  that  one 
fourth  of  the  entire  income  of  the  colony  was 
laid  out  in  maintaining  public  schools.  Gov- 
ernor Berkeley,  of  Virginia,  who  owned  a  great 
plantation  and  many  slaves,  and  who  wanted  to 
keep  the  government  in  the  hands  of  the  few 
privileged  families,  answered, — 

"I  thank  God  there  are  no  free  schools  nor 
printing  in  this  colony,  and  I  hope  we  shall  not 
have  them  these  hundred  years." 

All  the  Northern  colonies  established  common 
schools,  and  liberally  supported  them,  that  every 
child  might  obtain  an  education.  The  Southern 
colonies,  even  when  they  became  States,  gave  but 
little  attention  to  education,  and  consequently  the 
children  became  more  ignorant  than  their  fathers. 
Thus  it  has  come  to  pass,  that  in  the  Northern 
States  nearly  all  can  read  and  write,  while  in  the 


HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT.      18 


School*  In  I860. 


Southern  States  there  are  hundreds  of  thousands 
who  do  not  know  the  alphabet. 

In  1850  the  State  of  Maine  had  518,000  inhab- 
itants ;  of  these  2,134  could  not  read  nor  write, 
while  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  with  a  white 
population  of  553,000,  had  eighty  thousand  native 
whites,  over  twenty  years  of  age,  who  had  never 
attended  school ! 

The  six  New  England  States,  with  a  population 
of  2,705,000,  had  in  1850  but  eight  thousand 
unable  to  read  and  write,  while  Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Alabama 
—  five  States,  with  a  population  of  2,670,000 
whites  —  had  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  thou- 
sand, over  twenty  years  of  age,  unable  to  read 
a  word!  In  the  Northern  States  educational 
facilities  are  rapidly  increasing,  while  in  the 
South  they  are  fast  diminishing.  In  1857  there 
were  96,000  school-children  in  Vermont,  and  all 
but  six  thousand  attended  school.  South  Caro- 
lina the  same  year  had  114,000  school-children ; 
of  these  ninety-five  thousand  had  no  school  privi- 
leges. Virginia  had  414,000  school-children ; 
three  hundred  and  seventy-two  thousand  of  them 
had  no  means  of  learning  the  alphabet ! 

In  Missouri,  in  some  of  the  counties,  the  school 
lands  given  by  Congress  have  been  sold,  and  the 
money  distributed  among  the  people,  instead  of 
being  invested  for  the  benefit  of  schools.  With 


14      HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT. 

The  De«Ign  of  the  BUreholden.  Cotton. 

each  generation  ignorance  has  increased  in  the 
Southern  States.  It  has  been  the  design  of  the 
slaveholders  to  keep  the  poor  white  men  in  igno- 
rance. There,  neighbors  are  miles  apart.  There 
are  vast  tracts  of  land  where  the  solitude  is  un- 
broken by  the  sounds  of  labor.  Schools  and  news- 
papers cannot  flourish.  Information  is  given  by 
word  of  mouth.  Men  are  influenced  to  political 
action  by  the  arguments  and  stories  of  stump- 
speakers,  and  not  by  reading  newspapers.  They 
vote  as  they  are  told,  or  as  they  are  influenced 
by  the  stories  they  hear.  So,  when  the  leading 
conspirators  were  ready  to  bring  about  the  rebel- 
lion, being  hi  possession  of  the  State  governments, 
holding  official  positions,  by  misrepresentation, 
cunning,  and  wickedness,  they  were  able  to  de- 
lude the  ignorant  poor  men,  and  induce  them  to 
vote  to  secede  from  the  Union. 

Two  thousand  years  ago  the  natives  of  India 
manufactured  cloth  from  the  fibres  of  the  cotton- 
plant,  which  grew  wild  in  the  woods.  The  old 
historian,  Herodotus,  says  that  the  trees  bore 
fleeces  as  white  as  snow.  A  planter  of  South 
Carolina  obtained  some  of  the  seeds,  and  began 
to  cultivate  the  plant.  In  1748  ten  bags  of  cot- 
ton were  shipped  to  Liverpool,  but  cotton-spinning 
had  not  then  begun  hi  England.  In  1784  the 
custom-house  officers  at  Liverpool  seized  eight 
bags  which  a  planter  had  sent  over,  on  the 


HOW  THE  REBELLION   CAME  ABOUT.  15 

Cotton.  KUWhltamy. 

ground  that  it  was  not  possible  to  raise  so  much 
in  America.  The  manufacture  of  cotton  goods 
was  just  then  commencing  in  England,  and  cot- 
ton was  in  demand.  The  plant  grew  luxuriantly 
in  the  sunny  fields  of  the  South,  but  it  was  a 
day's  work  for  a  negro  to  separate  the  seed  from 
a  pound,  and  the  planters  despaired  of  making 
it  a  profitable  crop. 

A  few  years  before  the  Liverpool  custom-house 
officers  seized  the  eight  bags,  a  boy  named  Eli 
Whitney  was  attending  school  in  Westboro',  Mas- 
sachusetts, who  was  destined  to  help  the  planters 
out  of  the  difficulty.  He  made  water-wheels,  which 
plashed  in  the  roadside  brooks,  and  windmills, 
which  whirled  upon  his  father's  barn.  He  made 
violins,  which  were  the  wonder  and  admiration 
of  all  musicians.  He  set  up  a  shop,  and  made 
nails  by  machinery,  and  thus  earned  money 
through  the  Revolutionary  War.  When  not 
more  than  twelve  years  old,  he  stayed  at  home 
from  meeting  one  Sunday  alone,  and  took  his 
father's  watch  to  pieces,  and  put  it  together 
again  so  nicely  that  it  went  as  well  as  ever.  It 
was  not  the  proper  business  for  Sunday,  how- 
ever. 

When  a  young  man,  he  went  South  to  teach 
school.  He  happened  to  hear  General  Greene, 
the  brave  and  noble  man  who  had  been  a  match 
for  Lord  Cornwallis,  wish  that  there  was  a  ma- 


16      HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT. 

The  Planteri  steal  his  InTentton.  The  Bplnning-Jennj 

chine  for  cleaning  cotton.  He  thought  the  matter 
over,  went  to  work,  and  in  a  short  time  had  a 
machine  which,  with  some  improvements,  now 
does  the  work  of  a  thousand  negroes.  He  built 
it  in  secret,  but  the  planters,  getting  wind  of  ii, 
broke  open  his  room,  stole  his  invention,  built 
machines  of  their  own,  and  cheated  him  out  of 
his  property. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  poor  cotton-spinner 
in  England  who  thought  he  could  invent  a  ma- 
chine for  spinning.  He  sat  up  late  nights,  and 
thought  how  to  have  the  wheels,  cranks,  and 
belts  arranged.  At  times  he  was  almost  dis- 
couraged, but  his  patient,  cheerful,  loving  wife 
encouraged  him,  and  he  succeeded  at  last  in 
making  a  machine  which  would  do  the  work  of 
a  thousand  spinners.  He  named  it  Jenny,  for 
his  wife,  who  had  been  so  patient  and  cheerful, 
though  she  and  the  children,  some  of  the  time 
while  he  was  studying  upon  the  invention,  had 
little  to  eat. 

The  gin  and  the  jenny  made  cotton  cloth  much 
cheaper  than  it  had  been.  Many  manufactories 
were  built  in  England  and  in  the  New  England 
States.  More  acres  of  cotton  were  planted  in  the 
South,  and  more  negroes  stolen  from  Africa.  In 
the  North,  along  the  mill-streams,  there  was  the 
click  and  clatter  of  machinery.  A  great  many 
ships  were  needed  to  transport  the  cotton  from 


HOW   THE   REBELLION   CAME   ABOUT.  17 

The  gUTehotdan  think  Cotton  U  King. 

the  agricultural  South  to  the  manufactories  of  the 
commercial,  industrious,  trading  North.  The  cot- 
ton crop  of  the  South  in  1784  was  worth  only  a 
few  hundred  dollars,  but  the  crop  of  1860  wag 
worth  hundreds  of  millions,  so  great  had  been  the 
increase. 

This  great  demand  for  cotton  affected  trade 
and  commerce  the  world  over.  The  planters  had 
princely  incomes  from  the  labor  of  their  slaves. 
Some  of  them  received  $  50,000  to  $  100,000  a 
year.  They  said  that  cotton  was  king,  and  ruled 
the  world.  They  thought  that  the  whole  human 
race  was  dependent  upon  them,  and  that  by  with- 
holding their  cotton  a  single  year  they  could  com- 
pel the  whole  world  to  acknowledge  their  power. 
They  were  few  in  number,  —  about  three  hundred 
thousand  in  thirty  millions  of  people.  They  used 
every  means  possible  to  extend  and  perpetuate 
their  power.  They  saw  that  the  Northern  States 
were  beehives  of  industry,  and  that  the  boys 
swarming  from  the  Northern  school-houses  were 
becoming  mechanics,  farmers,  teachers,  engaging 
in  all  employments,  and  that  knowledge  as  a 
power  was  getting  the  better  of  wealth. 

The  men  of  the  North  were  settling  the  new 
States  of  the  West,  and  political  power  in  Con- 
gress was  slipping  from  the  hands  of  the  South. 
To  retain  that  power  they  must  bring  additional 
Slavo  States  into  the  Union.  They  therefore  de- 


18      HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT. 

What  thay  demanded. The  Mrrt  Families  of  Virginia. 

maiided  the  right  to  take  their  slaves  into  new 
Territories.  The  Northern  school-boys  who  had 
grown  to  be  men,  who  had  gone  into  the  far 
West  to  build  them  homes,  could  not  consent 
to  see  their  children  deprived  of  that  which  had 
made  them  men.  They  saw  that  if  slavery  came 
in,  schools  must  go  out.  They  saw  that  where 
slavery  existed  there  were  three  distinct  classes 
in  society,  —  the  few  rich,  unscrupulous,  hard- 
hearted slaveholders,  the  many  poor,  ignorant, 
debased  white  men,  and  the  slaves.  They  saw 
that  free  labor  and  slave  labor  could  not  exist 
together.  They  therefore  rightfully  resisted  the 
extension  of  slavery  into  the  Territories.  But 
the  slaveholders  carried  the  day.  The  North 
was  outvoted  and  obliged  to  yield. 

The  descendants  of  the  first  families  of  Vir- 
ginia raised  slaves  for  a  living.  It  was  degrading 
to  labor,  but  a  very  honorable  way  of  getting  a 
living  to  raise  pigs,  mules,  and  negroes,  —  to 
sell  them  to  the  more  southern  States,  —  to  sell 
their  own  sons  and  daughters  !  Their  fathers 
purchased  wives :  why  should  they  not  sell  their 
own  children  ? 

It  was  very  profitable  to  raise  negroes  for  the 

market,  and  the  ministers  of  the  South,  in  their 

pulpits  on  the  Sabbath,  said  it  was  a  Christian 

occupation.      They   expounded   the    Bible,    and 

bowed  the  benevolent  designs  of  Gcd  in  estat> 


HOW   THE   REBELLION   CAME   ABOUT.  19 

How  Northern  Men  were  treated. 

lisliing  slavery.  It  was  right.  It  had  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  Almighty.  It  was  a  Divine  missionary 
institution. 

Their  political  success,  their  great  power,  their 
wealth, — which  they  received  through  the  unpaid 
labor  of  their  slaves,  and  from  selling  their  own 
sons  and  daughters,  —  developed  their  bad  traits 
of  character.  They  became  proud,  insolent,  domi- 
neering, and  ambitious.  They  demanded  the  right 
not  only  to  extend  slavery  over  all  the  Territories 
of  the  United  States,  but  also  the  right  to  take 
their  slaves  into  the  Free  States.  They  demanded 
that  no  one  should  speak  or  write  against  slavery. 
They  secured  the  passage  of  a  law  by  Congress 
enabling  them  to  catch  their  runaway  slaves. 
They  demanded  that  the  Constitution  should  be 
changed  to  favor  the  growth  and  extension  of 
slavery.  For  many  years  they  plotted  against 
the  government,  —  threatening  to  destroy  it  if 
they  could  not  have  what  they  demanded.  They 
looked  with  utter  contempt  upon  the  hard-work- 
ing men  of  the  North.  They  determined  to 
rule  or  ruin.  Every  Northern  man  living  at 
the  South  was  looked  upon  with  suspicion. 
Some  were  tarred  and  feathered,  others  hung, 
and  many  were  killed  in  cold  blood !  No 
Northern  man  could  open  his  lips  on  that  sub- 
ject in  the  South.  Men  of  the  North  could 
not  travel  there.  The  noble  astronomer,  Mitch- 


20      HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT. 

The  SlaTeholders'  Plot.  They  brought  on  the  War. 

ell,  the  brave  general  who  has  laid  down  his 
life  for  his  country,  was  surrounded  by  an  igno- 
rant, excited  mob  in  Alabama,  who  were  ready 
to  hang  him  because  he  told  them  he  was  in 
favor  of  the  Union.  But  Southern  orators  and 
political  speakers  were  invited  North,  and  lis- 
tened  to  with  respect  by  the  thinking,  reasoning 
people,  —  the  pupils  of  the  common  schools. 

Climate,  trade,  commerce,  common  schools,  and 
industry  have  made  the  North  different  from  the 
South;  but  there  was  nothing  hi  these  to  bring 
on  the  war. 

When  the  slaveholders  saw  that  they  had  lost 
their  power  in  Congress  to  pass  laws  for  the  ex- 
tension of  slavery,  they  determined  to  secede  from 
the  Union.  When  the  North  elected  a  President 
who  declared  himself  opposed  to  the  extension  of 
slavery,  they  began  the  war.  They  stole  forts, 
arsenals,  money,  steamboats,  —  everything  they 
could  lay  their  hands  on  belonging  to  govern- 
ment and  individuals,  —  seceded  from  the  Union, 
formed  a  confederacy,  raised  an  army,  and  fired 
the  first  gun. 

They  planned  a  great  empire,  which  should  ex- 
tend south  to  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  and  west  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  made  slavery  its  corner- 
stone. They  talked  of  conquering  the  North. 
They  declared  that  the  time  would  come  when 
they  would  muster  their  slaves  on  Bunker  Hill, 


HOW  THE  REBELLION  CAME  ABOUT.      21 

They  brought  on  the  War. 

when  the  laboring  men  of  the  North,  "  with  hat 
in  hand,  should  stand  meekly  before  them,  their 
masters."  * 

They  besieged  Fort  Sumter,  fired  upon  the 
ships  sent  to  its  relief,  bombarded  the  fort  and 
captured  it.  To  save  their  country,  their  gov- 
°rnment,  all  that  was  dear  to  them,  to  protect 
Jieir  insulted,  time-honored  flag,  the  men  of  the 
North  took  up  arms. 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE   GATHERING    OF    A    GREAT    ABMY. 
Iking  upon  Port  Somter  Th«  Pmtdeofi  OmD. 

fllHE  Rebels  began  the  wax  by  firing  upon  Fort 
JL  Sumter.  You  remember  how  stupefying  the 
news  of  its  surrender.  You  could  not  at  first 
believe  that  they  would  fire  upon  the  Stars  and 
Stripes,  —  the  flag  respected  and  honored  every- 
where on  earth.  When  there  was  no  longer  a 
doubt  that  they  had  begun  hostilities,  you  could 
not  have  felt  worse  if  you  had  heard  of  the  death 
of  a  very  dear  friend.  But  as  you  thought  it 
over  and  reflected  upon  the  wickedness  of  the 
act,  so  deliberate  and  terrible,  you  felt  that  you 
would  like  to  see  the  traitors  hung ;  not  that  it 
would  be  a  pleasure  to  see  men  die  a  felon's 
death,  but  because  you  loved  your  country  and 
its  flag,  with  its  heaven-born  hues,  its  azure  field 
of  stars !  Not  that  the  flag  is  anything  in  itself 
to  be  protected,  honored,  and  revered,  but  be 
cause  it  is  the  emblem  of  constitutional  liberty 
and  freedom,  the  ensign  of  the  best,  freest,  no 
blest  government  ever  established.  It  had  cost 
suffering  and  blood.  Kings,  aristocrats,  despots, 


THE   GATHERING   OF  A   GREAT   ARMT.  23 

Th«  Old  TUc- The  aeadewCTM. 

and  tyrants,  in  the  Old  World  and  in  the  New 
hated  it,  but  millions  of  men  in  other  lands,  suf- 
fering, abused,  robbed  of  their  rights,  beheld  it 
as  their  banner  of  hope.  When  you  thought  ho-w 
it  had  been  struck  down  by  traitors,  when  yo-i 
heard  that  the  President  had  called  for  seventy*. 
five  thousand  troops,  you  hurrahed  with  all  your 
might,  and  wished  that  you  were  old  enough  and 
big  enough  to  go  and  fight  the  Rebels. 

i?j£  drums  beat  in  the  street.  You  saw  the 
soldiers  hasten  to  take  their  places  in  the  gather- 
ing ranks.  You  marched  beside  them  and  kept 
step  with  the  music.  The  sunlight  gleamed  from 
their  bayonets.  Their  standards  waved  in  the 
breeze,  while  the  drum,  the  fife,  the  bugle,  and 
the  trumpet  thrilled  you  as  never  before.  You 
marched  proudly  and  defiantly.  You  felt  that 
you  could  annihilate  the  stoutest  Rebel.  You 
followed  the  soldiers  to  the  railroad  depot  and 
hurrahed  till  the  train  which  bore  them  away 
was  out  of  sight. 

Let  us  follow  them  to  Washington,  and  see  the 
gathering  of  a  great  army.  The  Rebels  have 
threatened  to  capture  that  city  and  make  it  their 
seat  of  government,  and  it  must  be  saved. 

We  have  been  a  quiet,  peaceable  nation,  and 
have  had  no  great  standing  armies  of  a  half-mil- 
lion men.  We  know  but  little  about  war,  The 
Northern  States  are  unprepared  for  war.  Pres- 


24  THE   GATHERING   OP   A   GREAT   ARMY. 

.    a  Thief  Fiord.        The  Machinery  of  War.         The  Boldieo  to  OMB^ " 

ident  Buchanan's  Secretary  of  War,  Floyd,  has 
proved  himself  a  thief.  He  has  stolen  several 
hundred  thousands  of  muskets,  thousands  of 
pieces  of  artillery,  sending  them  from  the  North- 
ern arsenals  to  the  South.  The  slaveholders 
have  been  for  many  years  plotting  the  rebellion. 
They  are  armed,  and  we  are  not.  Their  arsenals 
are  well  filled,  while  ours  are  empty,  because 
President  Buchanan  was  a  weak  old  man,  and  kept 
thieves  and  traitors  in  places  of  trust  and  power. 

At  the  call  of  the  President  every  village  sends 
its  soldiers,  every  town  its  company.  When  you 
listened  to  the  soul-thrilling  music  of  the  band, 
and  watched  the  long,  winding  train  as  it  van- 
ished with  the  troops  in  the  distance,  you  had  one 
little  glimpse  of  the  machinery  of  war,  as  when 
riding  past  a  great  manufactory  you  see  a  single 
pulley,  or  a  row  of  spindles  through  a  window. 
You  do  not  see  the  thousands  of  wheels,  belts, 
shafts, — the  hundred  thousand  spindles,  the  arms 
of  iron,  fingers  of  brass,  and  spring?  of  steel,  and 
the  mighty  wheel  which  gives  motion  to  all, — 
and  so  you  have  not  seen  the  great,  complicated, 
far-reacning,  and  powerful  machinery  of  war. 

But  there  is  activity  everywhere.  Drums  are 
beating,  men  assembling,  soldiers  marching,  and 
hastening  on  hi  regiments.  They  go  into  camp 
and  sleep  on  the  ground,  wrapped  in  their  blan- 
kets. It  is  a  new  life.  They  have  no  nankins. 


THE   GATHERING   OF  A   GREAT    ARMY  J& 

Bard  TtnOt  and  Chicken.  Drilling.  The  High*  Altrm. 

no  table-cloths  at  breakfast,  dinner,  or  suppe.', 
no  china  plates  or  silver  forks.  Each  soldier 
has  his  tin  plate  and  cup,  and  makes  a  hearty 
meal  of  beef  and  bread.  It  is  hard-baked  bread 
They  call  it  hard-tack,  because  it  might  be  tacked 
upon  the  roof  of  a  house  instead  of  shingles.  They 
dso  have  Cincinnati  chicken.  At  home  they  called 
it  pork ;  fowls  are  scarce  and  pork  is  plenty  in 
camp,  so  they  make  believe  it  is  chicken  ! 

There  is  drilling  by  squads,  companies,  battal- 
ions, and  by  regiments.  Some  stand  guard  around 
the  camp  by  day,  and  others  go  out  on  picket  at 
night,  to  watch  for  the  enemy.  It  is  military  life. 
Everything  is  done  by  orders.  When  you  become 
a  soldier,  you  cannot  go  and  come  as  you  please. 
Privates,  lieutenants,  captains,  colonels,  generals, 
all  are  subject  to  the  orders  of  their  superior  offi- 
cers. All  must  obey  the  general  in  command. 
You  march,  drill,  eat,  sleep,  go  to  bed,  and  get  up 
by  order.  At  sunrise  you  hear  the  reveille,  and 
at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  tattoo.  Then 
the  candle,  which  has  been  burning  in  your  tent 
with  a  bayonet  for  a  candlestick,  must  be  put  out. 
In  the  dead  of  night,  while  sleeping  soundly  and 
dreaming  of  home,  you  hear  the  drum-beat.  It 
is  the  long  roll.  There  is  a  rattle  of  musketry. 
The  pickets  are  at  it.  Every  man  springs  to  his  feet 
"  Turn  out !  turn  out !"  shouts  the  coloneL 
"  Fall  in !  fall  in !  "  cries  the  captain. 


26  THE  GATHERING  OF  A  GREAT   ARMY. 

The  Night  AUrm. A  great  Army  la  Omap. 

There  is  confusion  throughout  the  camp,  —a 
trampling  of  feet  and  loud,  hurried  talking.  In 
your  haste  you  get  your  boots  on  wrong,  and  buckle 
your  cartridge-box  on  bottom  up.  You  rush  out 
in  the  darkness,  not  minding  your  steps,  and  are 
caught  by  the  tent-ropes.  You  tumble  headlong, 
upsetting  to-morrow's  breakfast  of  beans.  You 
take  your  place  hi  the  ranks,  nervous,  excited,  and 
trembling  at  you  know  not  what.  The  regiment 
rushes  toward  the  firing,  which  suddenly  ceaset. 
An  officer  rides  up  in  the  darkness  and  says  it  is 
a  false  alarm !  You  march  back  to  camp,  cool  and 
collected  now,  grumbling  at  the  stupidity  of  the 
picket,  who  saw  a  bush,  thought  it  was  a  Rebel, 
fired  his  gun,  and  alarmed  the  whole  camp. 

In  the  autumn  of  1861  the  army  of  the  Potomac, 
encamped  around  Washington,  numbered  about 
two  hundred  thousand  men.  Before  it  marches 
to  the  battle-field,  let  us  see  how  it  is  organized, 
how  it  looks,  how  it  is  fed ;  let  us  get  an  insight 
into  its  machinery. 

Go  up  in  the  balloon  which  you  see  hanging  in 
the  air  across  the  Potomac  from  Georgetown,  and 
look  down  upon  this  great  army.  All  the  country 
round  is  dotted  with  white  tents,  —  some  in  the 
open  fields,  and  some  half  hid  by  the  forest-trees. 
Looking  away  to  the  northwest  you  see  the  right 
wing.  Arlington  is  the  centre,  and  at  Alexan- 
dria is  the  left  wing.  You  see  men  in  ranks,  in 


THE  GATHERING  OF  A  GREAT  ARMY.     27 

flow  long  the  Line.         Uow  the  Army  I*  organised.         How  It  U  mored. 

files,  in  long  lines,  in  masses,  moving  to  and  fro, 
marching  and  countermarching,  learning  how  to 
fight  a  battle.  There  are  thousands  of  wagons 
and  horses ;  there  are  from  two  to  three  hundred 
pieces  of  artillery.  How  long  the  line,  if  all  were 
on  the  march  !  Men  marching  in  files  are  about 
three  feet  apart.  A  wagon  with  four  horses  occu- 
pies fifty  feet.  If  this  army  was  moving  on  a 
narrow  country  road,  four  cavalrymen  riding 
abreast,  and  men  in  files  of  four,  with  all  the 
artillery,  ammunition-wagons,  supply-trains,  am- 
bulances, and  equipment,  it  would  reach  from 
Boston  to  Hartford,  or  from  New  York  city  to 
Albany,  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles ! 

To  move  such  a  multitude,  to  bring  order  out 
of  confusion,  there  must  be  a  system,  a  plan,  and 
an  organization.  Regiments  are  therefore  formed 
into  brigades,  with  usually  about  four  regiments 
to  a  brigade.  Three  or  four  brigades  compose  a 
division,  and  three  or  four  divisions  make  an 
army  corps.  A  corps  when  full  numbers  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  thousand  men. 

When  an  army  moves,  the  general  command- 
ing it  issues  his  orders  to  the  generals  command- 
ing the  corps  ;  they  issue  their  orders  to  the 
division  commanders,  the  division  commanders 
to  the  brigadiers,  they  to  the  colonels,  and  the 
colonels  to  captains,  and  the  captains  to  the  com- 
panies. As  the  great  wheel  in  the  factory  turni 


28  THE   GATHERING   OF  A   GREAT    ARMY. 

lood  »nd  Olothtaf . 

all  the  machinery,  so  one  mind  moves  the  whole 
army.  The  general-in-chief  must  designate  the 
road  which  each  corps  shall  take,  the  time  when 
they  are  to  march,  where  they  are  to  march  to, 
and  sometimes  the  hour  when  they  must  arrive 
at  an  appointed  place.  The  corps  commanders 
must  direct  which  of  their  divisions  shall  march 
first,  what  roads  they  shall  take,  and  where  they 
shall  encamp  at  night.  The  division  commanders 
direct  what  brigades  shall  march  first  No  corps, 
division,  or  brigade  commander  can  take  any 
other  road  than  that  assigned  him,  without  pro- 
ducing confusion  and  delay. 

The  army  must  have  its  food  regularly.  Think 
how  much  food  it  takes  to  supply  the  city  of  Bos 
ton,  or  Cincinnati  every  day.  Yet  here  are  aa 
many  men  as  there  are  people  in  those  cities. 
There  are  a  great  many  more  horses  in  the  army 
than  in  the  stables  of  both  of  those  cities.  All 
must  be  fed.  There  must  be  a  constant  supply 
of  beef,  pork,  bread,  beans,  vinegar,  sugar,  and 
coffee,  oats,  corn,  and  hay. 

The  army  must  also  have  its  supplies  of  cloth- 
ing, its  boots,  shoes,  and  coats.  It  must  have  its 
ammunition,  its  millions  of  cartridges  of  different 
kinds ;  for  there  are  a  great  many  kinds  of  guns 
in  the  regiments,  —  Springfield  and  Enfield  mus- 
kests,  French,  Belgian,  Prussian,  and  Austrian 
guns,  requiring  a  great  many  different  kinds  of 


THE   GATHEBING    OF    A    GREAT    ARMY.  29 


The  HoBpttalt. 


ammunition.  There  are  a  great  many  differ- 
ent kinds  of  cannon.  There  must  be  no  lack 
of  ammunition,  no  mistake  in  its  distribution. 
So  there  is  the  Quartermaster's  Department, 
the  Commissary,  and  the  Ordnance  Department. 
The  Quartermaster  moves  and  clothes  the  army, 
the  Commissary  feeds  it,  and  the  Ordnance  officer 
supplies  it  with  ammunition.  The  general-in-chief 
had  a  Quartermaster-General,  a  chief  Commissary 
and  a  chief  Ordnance  officer,  who  issue  their 
orders  to  the  chief  officers  in  their  departments 
attached  to  each  corps.  They  issue  their  orders 
to  their  subordinates  hi  the  divisions,  and  the 
division  officers  to  those  in  the  brigades. 

Then  there  is  a  Surgeon-General,  who  directs 
all  the  hospital  operations,  who  must  see  that  the 
sick  and  wounded  are  all  taken  care  of.  There  are 
camp  surgeons,  division,  brigade,  and  regimental 
surgeons.  There  are  hospital  nurses,  ambulance 
drivers,  all  subject  to  the  orders  of  the  surgeon. 
No  other  officer  can  direct  them.  Each  depart- 
ment is  complete  in  itself. 

It  has  cost  a  great  deal  of  thought,  labor,  and 
money  to  construct  this  great  machinery.  In 
creating  it  there  has  been  much  thinking,  energy, 
determination,  and  labor;  and  there  must  be 
constant  forethought  in  anticipating  future  wants, 
necessities,  and  contingencies,  when  to  move, 
where,  and  how.  The  army  does  not  exist  of  it* 
own  accord,  but  by  constant,  unremitting  effort. 


30  THE   GATHERING   OF  A   GREAT   ARMY. 

What  the  People  determined.  A  Look  at  the  Machinery. 

The  people  of  the  country  determined  that  the 
Constitution,  the  Union,  and  the  government  be- 
queathed by  their  fathers  should  be  preserved. 
They  authorized  the  President  to  raise  a  great 
army.  Congress  voted  money  and  men.  The 
President,  acting  as  the  agent  of  the  people, 
and  as  Commander-in-Chief,  appointed  men  to 
bring  all  the  materials  together  and  organize 
the  army.  Look  at  what  was  wanted  to  build 
this  mighty  machine  and  to  keep  it  going. 

First,  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men ;  the 
thousands  of  horses ;  the  thousands  of  barrels  of 
beef,  pork,  and  flour  ;  thousands  of  hogsheads 
of  sugar,  vinegar,  rice,  salt,  bags  of  coffee,  and 
immense  stores  of  other  things.  Thousands  of 
tons  of  hay,  bags  of  oats  and  corn.  What  num- 
bers of  men  and  women  have  been  at  work  to  get 
each  soldier  ready  for  the  field.  He  has  boots, 
clothes,  and  equipments.  The  tanner,  currier, 
shoemaker,  the  manufacturer,  with  his  swift- 
flying  shuttles,  the  operator  tending  his  looms 
and  spinning-jennies,  the  tailor  with  his  sewing- 
machines,  the  gunsmith,  the  harness-maker,  the 
blacksmith,  —  all  trades  and  occupations  have 
been  employed.  There  are  saddles,  bridles,  knap- 
sacks, canteens,  dippers,  plates,  knives,  stoves, 
kettles,  tents,  blankets,  medicines,  drums,  swords, 
pistols,  guns,  cannon,  powder,  percussion-caps,  bul 
lets,  shot,  shells,  wagons,  —  everything. 


THE   GATHERING  OF  A   GREAT   ARMY.  31 

In  the  Department*.  The  Duly  of  the  General*. 

Walk  leisurely  through  the  camps,  and  observe 
the  little  things  and  the  great  things,  see  the  men 
on  the  march.  Then  go  into  the  Army  and  Navy 
Departments  in  Washington,  in  those  brick  build- 
ings west  of  the  President's  house.  In  those 
rooms  are  surveys,  maps,  plans,  papers,  charts 
of  the  ocean,  of  the  sea-coast,  currents,  sand- 
bars, shoals,  the  rising  and  falling  of  tides.  In 
the  Topographical  Bureau  you  see  maps  of  all 
sections  of  the  country.  There  is  the  Ordnance 
Bureau,  with  all  sorts  of  guns,  rifles,  muskets, 
carbines,  pistols,  swords,  shells,  rifled  shot,  fuses 
which  the  inventors  have  brought  in.  There  are 
*  great  many  bureaus,  with  immense  piles  of 
papers  and  volumes,  containing  experiments  upon 
the  strength  of  iron,  the  trials  of  cannon,  guns, 
mortars,  and  powder.  There  have  been  experi- 
ments to  determine  how  much  powder  shall  be 
used,  whether  it  shall  be  as  fine  as  mustard-seed 
or  as  coarse  as  lumps  of  sugar,  and  the  results 
are  all  noted  here.  All  the  appliances  of  science, 
industry,  and  art  are  brought  into  use  to  make  it 
the  best  army  the  world  ever  saw. 

It  is  the  business  of  the  government  to  bring 
the  materials  together,  and  the  business  of  the 
generals  to  organize  it  into  brigades,  divisions, 
and  corps,  —  to  determine  the  number  of  cavalry 
and  batteries  of  artillery,  to  place  weak  materials 
in  their  proper  places,  and  the  strongest  where 
they  will  be  most  needed. 


32     THE  GATHERING  OF  A  GREAT  ABMY 


The'oknenl-in-Chiet  Every  one  must  do  hU  Duty. 

The  general  commanding  must  have  a  plan 
of  operations.  Napoleon  said  that  war  is  like  a 
game  of  chess,  and  that  a  commander  must  make 
his  game.  He  must  think  it  out  beforehand,  and 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  enemy  will  be  com- 
pelled to  play  it  in  his  way  and  be  defeated.  The 
general-in-chief  must  see  the  end  from  the  begin- 
ning, just  as  Napoleon,  sticking  his  map  of  Europe 
full  of  pins,  decided  that  he  could  defeat  the  Aus- 
trians  at  Austerlitz,  the  Prussians  at  Jena.  That 
is  genius.  The  general-in-chief  makes  his  plan 
on  the  supposition  that  all  his  orders  will  be 
obeyed  promptly,  that  no  one  will  shirk  respon- 
sibility, that  not  one  of  all  the  vast  multitude 
will  fail  to  do  his  duty. 

The  night  before  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  Napo- 
leon sent  an  order  to  an  officer  to  take  possession 
of  a  little  hillock,  on  which  stood  a  farm-house 
overlooking  the  plain.  The  officer  thought  it 
would  do  just  as  well  if  he  let  it  go  till  morn- 
ing, but  in  the  morning  the  English  had  posses- 
sion of  the  spot,  and  in  consequence  of  that 
officer's  neglect  Napoleon  probably  lost  the  great 
battle,  his  army,  and  his  empire.  Great  events 
often  hang  on  little  things,  and  in  military  oper- 
ations it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  they 
should  be  attended  to. 

From  the  beginning  to  the  end,  unless  every 
man  does  his  duty,  from  the  general  in  command 


THE   GATHEBING   OF   A   GREAT    ARMY. 


What  *  dUdpllnad  Army  o*n  do. The  Plan  of  the  Bottle. 

to  the  private  in  the  ranks,  there  is  danger  of 
failure. 

Thus  the  army  is  organized,  and  thus  through 
organization  it  becomes  a  disciplined  body.  In- 
stead of  being  a  confused  mass  of  men,  horses, 
mules,  cannon,  caissons,  wagons,  and  ambulances, 
it  is  a  body  which  can  be  divided,  subdivided, 
separated  by  miles  of  country,  hurried  here  and 
there,  hurled  upon  the  enemy,  and  brought  to- 
gether again  by  the  stroke  of  a  pen,  by  a  word,  or 
the  click  of  the  telegraph. 

When  a  battle  is  to  be  fought,  the  general-in- 
chief  must  not  only  have  his  plan  how  to  get  the 
great  mass  of  men  to  the  field,  but  he  must  have 
a  plan  of  movement  on  the  field.  Each  corps 
must  have  its  position  assigned.  There  must  be 
a  line  of  battle.  It  is  not  a  continuous  line  of 
men,  but  there  are  wide  spaces,  perhaps  miles 
wide,  between  the  corps,  divisions,  and  brigades. 
Hills,  ravines,  streams,  swamps,  houses,  villages, 
bushes,  a  fence,  rocks,  wheat-fields,  sunlight  and 
shade,  all  must  be  taken  into  account.  Batteries 
must  be  placed  on  hills,  or  in  commanding  positions 
to  sweep  all  the  country  round.  Infantry  must  be 
gathered  in  masses  in  the  centre  or  on  either  wing, 
or  deployed  and  separated  according  to  circum- 
stances. They  must  be  sheltered.  They  must  be 
thrown  here  or  there,  as  they  may  be  needed  to 
hold  O.T  to  crush  the  enemy.  They  are  to  stand 

*•  a 


84     THE  GATHERING  OF  A  GREAT  ARMY. 

The  Soldier's  Duty.  The  Gteneral'i  Tent.  BleepleM  Nighte. 

still  and  be  ploughed  through  by  shot  and  shell,  of 
rush  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  just  as  they 
may  be  ordered.  They  are  not  to  question  the 
order ; — 

"  Theirs  not  to  make  reply, 

Theirs  not  to  reason  why, 

Theirs  bat  to  do  and  die." 

There  are  sleepless  nights  in  the  tent  of  the 
general-in-chief.  When  all  others  except  the 
pickets  are  asleep,  he  is  examining  maps  and 
plans,  calculating  distances,  estimating  the  strength 
of  his  army,  and  asking  himself  whether  it  will  do 
to  attack  the  enemy,  or  whether  he  shall  stand  on 
the  defensive  ?  can  this  brigade  be  relied  upon  for 
a  desperate  charge?  will  that  division  hold  the 
enemy  in  check  ?  At  such  times,  the  good  name, 
the  valor,  the  bravery  of  the  troops  and  of  the  offi- 
cers who  command  them  is  reviewed.  He  weighs 
character.  He  knows  who  are  reliable  and  who 
inefficient.  He  studies,  examines  papers,  consults 
reports,  makes  calculations,  sits  abstractedly,  walks 
nervously,  and  lies  down  to  dream  it  all  over 
again  and  again. 

The  welfare  of  the  country,  thousands  of  lives, 
and  perhaps  the  destiny  of  the  nation,  is  in  his 
hands.  How  shall  he  arrange  his  corps  ?  ought 
the  troops  to  be  massed  in  the  centre,  or  shall  he 
concentrate  them  on  the  wings  ?  shall  he  feel  of 
the  enemy  with  a  division  or  two,  or  rash  upon 


THE    GATHERING   OF   A   GREAT   ARMY.  85 

Brerything  »t  Stake.  The  Danger  of  Failure. 

him  like  an  avalanche  ?  Can  the  enemy  outflank 
him,  or  get  upon  his  rear  ?  What  if  the  Rebels 
should  pounce  upon  his  ammunition  and  supply- 
trains  ?  What  is  the  position  of  the  enemy  ?  How 
large  is  his  force  ?  How  many  batteries  has  he  ? 
How  much  cavalry  ?  What  do  the  scouts  report  ? 
Are  the  scouts  to  be  believed  ?  One  says  the 
enemy  is  retreating,  another  that  he  is  advancing. 
What  are  the  probabilities  ?  A  thousand  questions 
arise  which  must  be  answered.  The  prospect  of 
success  must  be  carefully  calculated.  Human  life 
must  be  thrown  remorselessly  into  the  scale.  All 
the  sorrows  and  the  tears  of  wives,  mothers,  fathers, 
brothers,  and  sisters  far  away,  who  will  mourn  for 
the  dead,  must  be  forgotten.  He  must  shut  up 
all  tender  thoughts,  and  become  an  iron  man. 
Ah !  it  is  not  so  fine  a  thing  to  be  a  general,  per- 
haps, as  you  have  imagined  ! 

It  is  an  incomplete,  imperfect,  and  unsatisfactory 
look  which  you  have  taken  of  the  machinery  of  a 
great  army.  But  you  can  see  that  a  very  small 
thing  may  upset  the  best-laid  plan  of  any  com- 
mander. The  cowardice  of  a  regiment,  the  failure 
of  an  officer  to  do  his  duty,  to  be  at  a  place  at  an 
appointed  moment,  the  miscarriage  of  orders,  a 
hundred  things  which  you  can  think  of,  may  turn 
a  victory  into  a  defeat.  You  can  see  that  a  great 
battle  must  be  a  grand  and  terrible  affair ;  but 
though  you  may  use  all  your  powers  of  imagina- 


86     THE  GATHERING  OF  A  GREAT  ARMY. 

The  DMgar  of  f  dtaure.  .— — -^ 

tion  in  endeavoring  to  picture  the  positions  of  the 
troops,  —  how  they  look,  how  they  act,  how  they 
stand  amid  the  terrible  storm,  braving  death,  how 
they  rush  into  the  thickest  fire,  how  they  fall  like 
the  sere  leaves  of  autumn,  —  you  will  fail  in  your 
conceptions  of  the  conflict.  You  must  see  it,  and 
be  in  it,  to  know  what  it  is. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE    BATTLE    OF    BULL   EUH. 


first  great  battle  of  the  war  was  fought 
near  Bull  Run,  in  Virginia.  There  had  been 
skirmishing  along  the  Potomac,  in  Western  Vir- 
ginia, and  Missouri ;  but  upon  the  banks  of  this 
winding  stream  was  fought  a  battle  which  will 
be  forever  memorable.  The  Rebels  call  it  the 
battle  of  Manassas.  It  has  been  called  also  the 
battle  of  Stone  Bridge  and  the  battle  of  War- 
renton  Road. 

Bull  Run  is  a  lazy,  sluggish  stream,  a  branch 
of  the  Occoquan  River,  which  empties  into  the 
Potomac.  It  rises  among  the  Bull  Run  Moun- 
tains, and  flows  southeast  through  Fairfax  Coun- 
ty. Just  beyond  the  stream,  as  you  go  west  from 
Washington,  t,re  the  plains  of  Manassas,  —  level 
lands,  which  years  ago  waved  with  corn  and  to- 
bacco, but  the  fields  long  since  were  worn  out 
by  the  thriftless  farming  of  the  slaveholders,  and 
now  they  are  overgrown  with  thickets  of  pine  and 
Mk. 

Two  railroads  meet  upon  the  plains,  one  run 


THE  BATTLE   OF  BULL  BUN. 


The  Rebel  Ann?.    What  Beaurejrwrd  intended  to  do.    Army  of  the  Potomac. 

ning  northwest  through  the  mountain  gaps  into 
the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  the  other  run- 
ning from  Alexandria  to  Richmond,  Culpepper, 
and  the  Southwest.  The  junction,  therefore,  be- 
came an  important  place  for  Rebel  military  opera- 
tions. There,  hi  June,  1861,  General  Beauregard 
mustered  his  army,  which  was  to  defeat  the  Union 
army  and  capture  Washington.  The  Richmond 
newspapers  said  that  this  army  would  not  only 
capture  Washington,  but  would  also  dictate  terms 
of  peace  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson.  Hot-headed 
men,  who  seemed  to  have  lost  their  reason  through 
the  influence  of  slavery  and  secession,  thought  that 
the  Southern  troops  were  invincible.  They  were 
confident  that  one  Southerner  could  whip  five 
Yankees.  Ladies  cheered  them,  called  them 
chivalrous  sons  of  the  South,  and  urged  them 
on  to  the  field. 

But  General  Beauregard,  instead  of  advancing 
upon  Washington,  awaited  an  attack  from  the 
Union  army,  making  Bull  Run  his  line  of  de- 
fence, throwing  up  breastworks,  cutting  down 
trees,  and  sheltering  his  men  beneath  the  thick 
growth  of  the  evergreen  pines. 

The  army  of  the  Union,  called  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  assembled  at  Arlington  HeightE 
and  Alexandria.  General  McDowell  was  placed 
in  command.  Half  of  his  soldiers  were  meo 
who  had  enlisted  for  three  months,  who  had 


THE  BATTLE   OP  BULL  BUN.  39 

Whfttwu  expected.  A  Walk  up  Boll  Bon.  The  lords. 

Buddenly  left  their  homes  at  the  call  of  the 
President.  Their  term  of  service  had  nearly  ex- 
pired. The  three  years'  men  had  been  but  a 
few  dcys  in  camp.  Hilitary  duties  were  new. 
They  nothing  of  discipline,  but  they  con- 

fidently to  defeat  the  enemy  and  move 

on  to  Richmond.  Few  people  thought  of  the 
possibility  of  defeat. 

Let  us  walk  up  the  valley  of  Bull  Run  and 
notice  its  fords,  its  wooded  banks,  the  scattered 
farm-houses,  and  fields  of  waving  grain.  Ten 
miles  from  the  Occoquan  we  come  to  the  rail 
road  bridge.  A  mile  farther  up  is  McLean's 
Ford;  another  mile  carries  us  to  Blackburn's, 
and  another  mile  brings  us  to  Mitchell's.  Above 
these  are  Island  Ford,  Lewis  Ford,  and  Ball's 
Ford.  Three  miles  above  Mitchell's  there  is  a 
stone  bridge,  where  the  turnpike  leading  from 
Centreville  to  Warrenton  crosses  the  stream. 
Two  miles  farther  up  is  a  place  called  Sudley 
Springs,  —  a  cluster  of  houses,  a  little  stone 
church,  a  blacksmith's  shop.  The  stream  there 
has  dwindled  to  a  brook,  and  gurgles  over  a 
rocky  bed. 

Going  back  to  the  stone  bridge,  and  standing 
upon  its  parapet,  you  may  look  east  to  Centre- 
ville, about  four  miles  distant,  beautifully  situated 
on  a  high  ridge  of  land,  but  a  very  old,  dilapidated 
place  when  you  get  to  it.  Going  west  from  the 


40  THE   BATTLE  OF   BULL  BUN. 

Ttow  from  the  Stone  Bridge.  Th«  Varm-honiM.  The  Ridge*. 

bridge,  you  see  upon  your  right  hand  a  swell  of 
land,  and  another  at  your  left  hand,  south  of  the 
turnpike.  A  brook  trickles  by  the  roadside.  Leav- 
ing the  turnpike,  and  ascending  the  ridge  on  the 
north  side,  you  see  that  towards  Sudley  Springs 
there  are  other  swells  of  land,  with  wheatrfields, 
fences,  scattered  trees,  and  groves  of  pines  and 
oaks.  Looking  across  to  the  hill  south  of  the 
turnpike,  a  half-mile  distant,  you  see  the  house 
of  Mr.  Lewis,  and  west  of  it  Mrs.  Henry's,  on  the 
highest  knoll.  Mrs.  Henry  is  an  old  lady,  so  far 
advanced  in  life  that  she  is  helpless.  Going  up 
the  turnpike  a  mile  from  the  bridge,  you  come 
to  tha  toll-gate,  kept  by  Mr.  Mathey.  A  cross- 
road comes  down  from  Sudley  Springs,  and  leads 
jouth  towards  Manassas  Junction,  six  miles  dis- 
tant. Leave  the  turnpike  once  more,  and  go 
northwest  a  half-mile,  and  you  come  to  the 
farm  of  Mr.  Dogan.  There  are  farm-sheds  and 
haystacks  near  his  house. 

This  ground,  from  Dogan's  to  the  ridge  east  of 
the  toll-gate,  across  the  turnpike  and  the  trickling 
brook  to  Mr.  Lewis's  and  Mrs.  Henry's,  is  the  bat- 
tle-field. You  see  it,  —  the  ridges  of  land,  the 
houses,  haystacks,  fences,  knolls,  ravines,  wheat- 
fields,  turnpike,  and  groves  of  oak  and  pine,  —  a 
territory  about  two  miles  square. 

On  Saturday,  June  20th,  General  Johnston, 
with  nearly  all  the  Rebel  army  of  the  Shenan- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUH.  41 


The  JLrmy  of  the  Shenando&h.    How  General  Johnston  posted  his  Brigade*. 

doah,  arrived  at  Manassas.  Being  General  Beau- 
regard's  superior  officer,  he  took  command  of  all 
the  troops.  He  had  about  thirty  thousand  men. 

On  Thursday,  General  Richardson's  brigade  of 
General  McDowell's  army  had  a  skirmish  with 
General  Longstreet's  brigade  at  Blackburn's  Ford, 
which  the  Rebels  call  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  while 
that  which  was  fought  on  the  21st  they  call  the 
battle  of  Manassas.  General  Beauregard  expect- 
ed that  the  attack  would  be  renewed  along  the 
fords,  and  posted  his  men  accordingly. 

Going  down  to  the  railroad  bridge,  we  see  Gen- 
eral EwelPs  brigade  of  the  Rebel  army  on  the 
western  bank  guarding  the  crossing.  General 
Jones's  brigade  is  at  McLean's  Ford.  At  Black- 
burn's Ford  is  General  Longstreet's,  and  at  Mitch- 
ell's Ford  is  General  Bonham's.  Near  by  Bon- 
ham's  is  General  Barley's,  General  Bartow's,  and 
General  Holmes's.  General  Jackson's  is  in  rear 
of  General  Bonham's.  At  Island  Ford  is  General 
Bee  and  Colonel  Hampton's  legion,  also  Stuart's 
cavalry.  At  Ball's  Ford  is  General  Cocke's  brig- 
ade. Above,  at  the  Stone  Bridge,  is  the  extreme 
left  of  the  Rebel  army,  General  Evans's  brigade. 
General  Elzey's  brigade  of  the  Shenandoah  army 
is  on  its  way  in  the  cars,  and  is  expected  to  reach 
the  battle-field  before  the  contest  closes.  General 
Johnston  has  between  fifty  and  sixty  pieces  of 
artillery  and  about  one  thousand  cavalry. 


4*2  THE   BATTLE   OF   BULL   RUN. 

General  McDowell.  Hia  Plan.  The  Morning. 


General  McDowell  had  also  about  thirty  thou- 
sand men  and  forty-nine  pieces  of  artillery.  His 
army  was  in  four  divisions,  —  General  Tyler's, 
General  Hunter's,  General  Heintzelman's,  and 
General  Miles's.  One  brigade  of  General  Tyler's 
and  General  Miles's  division  was  left  at  Centreville 
to  make  a  feint  of  attacking  the  enemy  at  Black- 
burn's and  Mitchell's  Fords,  and  to  protect  the 
rear  of  the  army  from  an  attack  by  Generals  Ewell 
and  Jones.  The  other  divisions  of  the  army  — 
five  brigades,  numbering  eighteen  thousand  men, 
with  thirty-six  cannon  —  marched  soon  after  mid- 
night, to  be  ready  to  make  the  attack  by  sunrise 
on  Sunday  morning. 

General  Tyler,  with  General  Keyes's  brig- 
ade, General  Sherman's,  and  General  Scheiick's, 
marched  down  the  turnpike  towards  the  Stone 
Bridge,  where  General  Evans  was  on  the  watch. 
General  Tyler  had  twelve  pieces  of  artillery, — 
two  batteries,  commanded  by  Ayer  and  Carlisle. 

It  is  sunrise  as  they  approach  the  bridge,  —  a 
calm,  peaceful  Sabbath  morning.  The  troops 
leave  the  turnpike,  march  into  a  cornfield,  and 
ascend  a  hill  overlooking  the  bridge.  As  you 
stand  there  amid  the  tasselled  stalks,  you  see  the 
stream  rippling  beneath  the  stone  arches,  and 
upon  the  other  bank  breastworks  of  earth  and 
fallen  trees.  Half  bid  beneath  the  oaks  and 
pines  are  the  Rebel  regiments,  their  gun-barreli 


THE   BATTLE   OP  BULL  BUN.  48 

the  flnrt  Chin. The  new  Position. Ayert  Battery. 

and  bayonets  flashing  in  the  morning  light.  Be- 
yond the  breastworks  ,upou  the  knolls  are  the 
farm-houses  of  Mr.  Lewis  and  Mrs.  Henry. 

Captain  Ayer,  who  has  seen  fighting  in  Mexico^ 
brings  his  guns  upon  the  hill,  wheels  them  into 
position,  and  sights  them  towards  the  breastworks. 
There  is  a  flash,  a  puff  of  smoke,  a  screaming  in 
the  air,  and  then  across  the  stream  a  handful  ol 
cloud  bursts  into  view  above  the  Rebel  lines.  The 
shell  has  exploded.  There  is  a  sudden  movement 
of  the  Rebel  troops.  It  is  the  first  gun  of  the 
morning.  And  now,  two  miles  down  the  Run. 
by  Mitchell's  Ford,  rolling,  echoing,  and  reverber- 
ating through  the  forests,  are  other  thunderings. 
General  Richardson  has  been  waiting  impatiently 
to  hear  the  signal  gun.  He  is  to  make  a  feint  <K 
attacking.  His  cannonade  is  to  begin  furiously . 
He  has  six  guns,  and  all  of  them  are  in  position, 
throwing  solid  shot  and  shells  into  the  wood 
where  Longstreet's  men  are  lying. 

All  of  Ayer's  guns  are  in  play,  hurling  rilled 
shot  and  shells,  which  scream  like  an  unseen  de- 
mon as  they  fly  over  the  cornfield,  over  the 
meadow  lands,  to  the  woods  and  fields  beyond 
the  stream. 

General  Hunter  and  General  Heintzelnian,  with 
their  divisions,  have  left  the  turnpike  two  miles 
from  Centreville,  at  Cub  Run  bridge,  a  rickrf- 
wooden  structure,  which  creaks  and  trembles 


44  THE   BATTLE   OP  BULL  BUN. 

The  March  to  Budley  Spring*.         "~    "".-oop*  belated.         General  -vw»T" 

the  heavy  cannon  rumble  over.  They  march  into 
the  northwest,  along  a  narrow  road,  —  a  round- 
about way  to  Sudley  Springs.  It  is  a  long  march. 
They  started  at  two  o'clock,  anr1  have  had  no 
breakfast.  They  waited  three  hours  at  Cub  Run, 
while  General  Tyler's  division  was  crossing,  and 
they  are  therefore  three  hours  behind  the  appointed 
time.  General  McDowell  calculated  and  intended 
to  have  them  at  Sudley  Springs  by  six  o'clock,  but 
now  it  is  nine.  They  stop  a  half-hour  at  the  river- 
crossing  to  fill  their  canteens  from  the  gurgling 
stream. 

Looking  south  from  the  little  stone  church,  you 
see  clouds  of  dust  floating  over  the  forest-trees. 
The  Rebels  have  discovered  the  movement,  and 
are  marching  in  hot  haste  to  resist  the  impending 
attack.  General  Evans  has  left  a  portion  of  his 
command  at  Stone  Bridge,  and  is  hastening  with 
the  remainder  to  the  second  ridge  of  land  north 
of  the  turnpike.  He  plants  his  artillery  on  the 
hill,  and  secretes  his  infantry  in  a  thicket  of 
pines.  General  Bee  is  on  the  march,  so  is  General 
Bartow  and  General  Jackson,  all  upon  the  double- 
quick.  Rebel  officers  ride  furiously,  and  shout 
their  orders.  The  artillerymen  lash  their  horses 
to  a  run.  The  infantry  are  also  upon  the  run, 
sweating  and  panting  in  the  hot  sunshine.  The 
noise  and  confusion  increase.  The  booming  deep- 
ens along  the  valley,  for  still  farther  down,  bj 


THE   BATTLE   OF   BULL  BUN.  45 

The  Beginning  of  the  B»ttJI       The  Bhoda  Iiland  Boy*.       The  Haji tack. 

Blackburn's  Ford,  Hunt's  battery  is  pouring  its 
fire  upon  Longstreet's,  Jones's,  and  Swell's  men. 

The  Union  troops  at  Sudley  Springs  move  across 
the  stream.  General  Burnside's  brigade  is  in  ad- 
rance.  The  Second  Rhode  Island  infantry  is 
ahrown  out,  deployed  as  skirmishers.  The  men 
are  five  paces  apart.  They  move  slowly,  cautious- 
ty,  and  nervously  through  the  fields  and  thickets. 

Suddenly,  from  bushes,  trees,  and  fences  there 
is  a  rattle  of  musketry.  General  Evans's  skirmish- 
ers are  firing.  There  are  jets  of  flame  and  smoke, 
and  a  strange  humming  in  the  air.  There  is 
another  rattle,  a  roll,  a  volley.  The  cannon  join, 
the  first  great  battle  has  begun.  General  Hunter 
hastens  to  the  spot,  and  is  wounded  almost  at  the 
nrst  volley,  and  compelled  to  leave  the  field.  The 
contest  suddenly  grows  fierce.  The  Rhode  Island 
boys  push  on  to  closer  quarters,  and  the  Rebels 
under  General  Evans  give  way  from  a  thicket  to  a 
fence,  from  a  fence  to  a  knoll. 

General  Bee  arrives  with  his  brigade  to  help 
General  Evans.  You  see  him  swing  up  into  line 
west  of  Evans,  towards  the  haystacks  by  Dogan's 
house.  He  is  in  such  a  position  that  he  can  pour 
a  fire  upon  the  llank  of  the  Rhode  Island  boys, 
who  are  pushing  Kvans.  It  is  a  galling  fire,  and 
the  brave  fellows  are  cut  down  by  the  raking 
shots  from  the  haystacfcs.  They  are  almost  over- 
whelmed. But  help  is  at  hand  The  Seventy 


46  THE  BATTLE   OF  BULL  RON. 

The  Been*.  The  two  Picture* 

first  New  York,  the  Second  New  Hampshire,  and 
the  First  Rhode  Island,  all  belonging  to  Burnside's 
brigade,  move  toward  the  haystacks.  They  bring 
their  guns  to  a  level,  and  the  rattle  and  roll  be- 
qrin.  There  are  jets  of  flame,  long  lines  of  light, 
white  clouds,  unfolding  and  expanding,  rolling 
over  and  over,  and  rising  above  the  tree-tops. 
Wilder  the  uproar.  Men  fall,  tossing  their  arms ; 
some  leap  into  the  air,  some  plunge  headlong, 
falling  like  logs  of  wood  or  lumps  of  lead.  Some 
reel,  stagger,  and  tumble  ;  others  lie  down  gently 
as  to  a  night's  repose,  unheeding  the  din,  com 
motion,  and  uproar.  They  are  bleeding,  torn, 
and  mangled.  Legs,  arms,  bodies,  are  crushed. 
They  see  nothing.  They  cannot  tell  what  has 
happened.  The  ah-  is  full  of  fearful  noises.  An 
unseen  storm  sweeps  by.  The  trees  are  splintered, 
crushed,  and  broken  as  if  smitten  by  thunderbolts. 
Twigs  and  leaves  fall  to  the  ground.  There  is 
smoke,  dust,  wild  talking,  shouting,  hissings,  howl- 
ings,  explosions.  It  is  a  new,  strange,  unantici- 
pated experience  to  the  soldiers  of  both  armies,  far 
different  from  what  they  thought  it  would  be. 

Far  away,  church-bells  are  tolling  the  hour  of 
Sabbath  worship,  and  children  are  singing  sweet 
songs  in  many  a  Sunday  school.  Strange  and 
terrible  the  contrast !  You  cannot  bear  to  look 
upon  the  dreadful  scene.  How  horrible  those 
wounds!  The  ground  is  crimson  with  blood 


THE    BATTLE    OF   BULL   RUN. 


Porter'*  Brigade. 


You  are  ready  to  turn  away,  and  shut  the  scene 
forever  from  your  sight.  But  the  battle  must 
go  on,  and  the  war  must  go  on  till  the  wicked 
men  who  began  it  are  crushed,  till  the  honor 
of  the  dear  old  flag  is  vindicated,  till  the  Union 
is  restored,  till  the  country  is  saved,  till  the 
slaveholder  is  deprived  of  his  power,  and  till 
freedom  comes  to  the  slave.  It  is  terrible  to 
see,  but  you  remember  that  the  greatest  blessing 
the  world  ever  received  was  purchased  by  blood, 
—  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God.  It  is  terrible  to 
see,  but  there  are  worse  things  than  war.  It  is 
worse  to  have  the  rights  of  men  trampled  in  the 
dust ;  worse  to  have  your  country  destroyed,  to 
have  justice,  truth,  and  honor  violated.  You 
had  better  be  killed,  torn  to  pieces  by  cannon- 
shot,  than  lose  your  manhood,  or  yield  that 
which  makes  you  a  man.  It  is  better  to  die 
than  give  up  that  rich  inheritance  bequeathed 
us  by  our  fathers,  and  purchased  by  their  blood. 
The  battle  goes  on.  General  Porter's  brigade 
comes  to  the  aid  of  Burnside,  moving  towards 
Dogan's  house.  Jackson's  Rebel  brigade  is  there 
to  meet  him.  Arnold's  battery  is  in  play, —  guns 
pouring  a  constant  stream  of  shot  and  shells  upon 
the  Rebel  line.  The  Washington  Artillery,  from 
New  Orleans,  is  replying  from  the  hill  south  of 
Dogan's.  Other  Rebel  batteries  are  cutting  Burn- 
sido's  brigade  to  pieces.  The  men  are  all  bat 


io  THE  BATTLE   OF  BULL   BtTN. 

tt»  KegqUfi  charge  Bayooet.  The  Rebel  Una  yira*  W*y. 

ready  to  fall  back  before  the  terrible  storm.  Burn- 
tide  sends  to  Porter  for  help,  —  he  asks  for  the 
brave  old  soldiers,  the  regulars,  who  have  been 
true  to  the  flag  of  their  country,  while  many  of 
their  former  officers  have  been  false.  They  have 
been  long  in  the  service,  and  have  had  mauy 
fierce  contests  with  the  Indians  on  the  Western 
plains.  They  are  as  true  as  steel.  Captain  Sykes 
commands  them.  He  leads  the  way.  You  see 
them,  with  steady  ranks,  in  the  edge  of  the  woods 
east  of  Dogan's  house.  They  have  been  facing 
southwest,  and  now  they  turn  to  the  southeast 
They  pass  through  the  grove  of  pines,  and  enter 
the  open  field.  They  are  cut  through  and  through 
with  solid  shot,  shells  burst  around  them,  men 
drop  from  the  ranks,  but  the  battalion  does  not 
falter.  It  sweeps  on  close  up  to  the  cloud  of  flame 
and  smoke  rolling  from  the  hill  north  of  the  turn- 
pike. Their  muskets  come  to  a  level.  There  is  a 
dick,  click,  click,  along  the  line.  A  broad  sheet 
of  flame,  a  white,  sulphurous  cloud,  a  deep  roll 
like  the  angry  growl  of  thunder.  There  is  sudden 
staggering  in  the  Rebel  ranks.  Men  whirl  round, 
and  drop  upon  the  ground.  The  line  wavers,  and 
breaks.  They  run  down  the  hill,  across  the  hol- 
lows, to  another  knoll.  There  they  rally,  and 
hold  their  ground  a  while.  Hampton's  legion  and 
Cocke's  brigade  come  to  their  support.  Fugitivei 
are  brought  back  by  the  officers,  who  ride  furi 


THE   BATTI.E   OF   BULL   BUN. 


end  HelnUelmtn't  DJTUlon.    Qrt&n't  and  Blckett'i  Batterlea  open  Fbo. 

ously  over  the  field.  There  is  a  lull,  and  then  the 
strife  goes  on,  a  rattling  fire  of  musketry,  and  a 
continual  booming  of  the  cannonade. 

General  Heintzelman's  division  was  in  rear  of 
General  Hunter's  on  the  march.  When  the  battle 
begun  the  troops  were  several  miles  from  Sudley 
Church.  They  were  parched  with  thirst,  and  when 
they  reached  the  stream  they,  too,  stopped  and 
filled  their  canteens.  Burnside's  and  Porter's 
brigades  were  engaged  two  hours  before  Heintzel- 
man's division  reached  the  field.  Eight  regiments 
had  driven  the  Rebels  from  their  first  position. 

General  Heintzelman  marched  upon  the  Rebels 
west  of  Dogan's  house.  The  Rebel  batteries  were 
on  a  knoll,  a  short  distance  from  the  toll-gate. 
Griffin  and  Ricketts  opened  upon  them  with  their 
rifled  guns.  Then  came  a  great  puff  of  smoke. 
It  was  a  Rebel  caisson  blown  up  by  one  of  Griffin's 
shells.  It  was  a  COP*:-"^US,  steady  artillery  fire. 
The  gunners  of  the  Rebel  batteries  were  swept 
away  by  the  unerring  aim  of  Griffin's  gunners. 
They  changed  position  again  and  again,  to  avoid 
the  shot.  Mingled  with  the  constant  crashing  of 
the  cannonade  was  an  irregular  firing  of  muskets, 
like  the  pattering  of  rain-drops  upon  a  roof.  At 
times  there  was  a  quicker  rattle,  and  heavy  rolls, 
like  the  fall  of  a  great  building. 

General  Wilcox  swung  his  brigade  round  upon 
Jackson's  flank.  The  Rebel  general  must  retreat 


50  THE  BATTLE  OF  BULL  BOH. 

Wilcoi'i  Brigade!  Sdk  with  a  Prlroner. 

or  be  cut  off,  and  he  fell  back  to  the  toll-gate,  to 
the  turnpike,  across  it,  in  confusion,  to  the  ridge 
by  Mrs.  Henry's.  Evans's,  Bee's,  Bartow's,  and 
Cocke's  brigades,  which  have  been  trying  to  hold 
their  ground  against  Burnside  and  Porter's  brig- 
ades, by  this  movement  are  also  forced  back  to 
Mr.  Lewis's  house.  The  Rebels  do  not  all  go  back. 
There  are  hundreds  who  rushed  up  in  hot  haste 
in  the  morning  lying  bleeding,  torn,  mangled, 
jpon  the  wooded  slopes.  Some  are  prisoners. 

I  talked  with  a  soldier  of  one  of  the  Virginia 
regiments.  We  were  near  the  Stone  Bridge.  He 
was  a  tall,  athletic  young  man,  dressed  in  a  gray 
uniform  trimmed  with  yellow  braid. 

"  How  many  soldiers  have  you  on  the  field  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  Ninety  thousand." 

"  Hardly  that  number,  I  guess." 

"Yes,  sir.     We  have  got  Beauregard's  and 
Johnston's   armies.      Johnston   came  yesterday 
and  a  whole  lot  more  from  Richmond.    If  yo 
whip  us  to-day,  you  will  whip  nigh  to  a  hundred 
thousand." 

"  Who  is  in  command  ?  " 

"  Jeff  Davis." 

"  I  thought  Beauregard  was  in  command." 

"  Well,  he  was  ;  but  Jeff  Davis  is  on  tho  field 
now.  I  know  it ;  for  I  saw  him  just  before  I  wa« 
captured.  He  was  on  a  white  horse." 


THE  BATTLE   OF   BULL   RUN.  61 


General*  Sherman  and  Keyes  crow  the  Stream. 

While  talking,  a  shell  screamed  over  our  heads 
and  fell  in  the  woods.  The  Rebel  batteries  had 
opened  again  upon  our  position.  Another  came, 
and  we  were  compelled  to  leave  the  spot. 

The  prisoner  may  have  been  honest  in  his  state- 
ments. It  requires  much  judgment  to  correctly 
estimate  large  armies.  He  was  correct  in  saying 
that  Jeff  Davis  was  there.  He  was  on  the  ground, 
watching  the  progress  of  the  battle,  but  taking  no 
part.  He  arrived  in  season  to  see  the  close  of  the 
contest. 

After  Burnside  and  Porter  had  driven  Evans, 
Bee,  and  Bartow  across  the  turnpike,  General 
Sherman  and  General  Keyes  crossed  Bull  Run 
above  the  Stone  Bridge  and  moved  straight  down 
the  stream.  Schenck's  brigade  and  Ayer's  and 
Carlisle's  batteries  were  left  to  guard  the  rear. 

Perhaps  you  had  a  brother  or  a  father  in  the 
Second  New  Hampshire,  or  in  the  Seventy-first 
New  York,  or  in  some  other  regiment ;  or  perhaps 
when  the  war  is  over  you  may  wish  to  visit  the 
spot  and  behold  the  ground  where  the  first  great 
baltle  was  fought.  You  will  wish  to  see  just 
where  they  stood.  Looking,  then,  along  the  line 
at  one  o'clock,  you  see  nearest  the  stream  General 
Keyes's  brigade,  composed  of  the  First,  Second, 
and  Third  Connecticut  regiments  and  the  Fourth 
Maine.  Next  is  Sherman's  brigade,  composed  of 
the  Siity-r.inth  and  Seventy-ninth  New  York  Mili 


62  THE   BATTLE  OF  BULL  BUH. 

When  tke  Regiment*  ftood!  The  Union  Uaof 

Ma,  the  Thirteenth  New  York  Volunteers,  and  the 
Second  Wisconsin.  Between  these  and  the  toll- 
gate  you  see  first,  as  you  go  west,  Burnside's 
brigade,  composed  of  the  First  and  Second  Rhode 
Island,  the  Seventy-first  New  York  Militia,  and 
the  Second  New  Hampshire,  and  the  Second 
Rhode  Island  battery ;  extending  to  the  toll- 
house is  Porter's  brigade.  He  has  Sykes's  battal- 
ion of  regulars,  and  the  Eighth  and  Fourteenth 
regiments  of  New  York  Militia  and  Arnold's  bat- 
tery. Crossing  the  road  which  comes  down  from 
Sudley  Springs,  you  see  General  Franklin's  brig- 
ade, containing  the  Fifth  Massachusetts  Militia,  the 
First  Minnesota  Volunteers,  and  the  Fourth  Penn- 
sylvania Militia.  Next  you  come  to  the  men  from 
Maine  and  Vermont,  the  Second,  Fourth,  and  Fifth 
Maine,  and  the  Second  Vermont,  General  Howard's 
brigade.  Beyond,  upon  the  extreme  right,  is  Gen- 
eral Wilcox  with  the  First  Michigan  and  the  Elev- 
enth New  York.  Griffin's  and  Rickott's  batteries 
are  near  at  hand.  There  are  twenty-four  regiments 
and  twenty-four  pieces  of  artillery.  There  are 
two  companies  of  cavalry.  If  we  step  over  to  the 
house  of  Mr.  Lewis,  we  shall  find  General  John- 
ston and  General  Beauregard  in  anxious  consul- 
tation. General  Johnston  has  sent  officers  in  hot 
haste  for  reinforcements.  Brigades  are  arriving 
•ut  of  breath, — General  Cocke's,  Holmes's,  Long- 
•treet's,  Barley's.  Broken  regiments,  fragments 


THE  BATTLE   OJ   BULL  BUN.  58 


of  companies,  and  stragglers  are  collected  and 
brought  into  line.  General  Bonham's  brigade  is 
sent  for.  All  but  General  EwelTs  and  General 
Jones's ;  they  are  left  to  prevent  General  Mileo 
from  crossing  at  Blackburn's  Ford  and  attacking 
the  Rebel  army  in  the  rear.  General  Johnston 
feels  that  it  is  a  critical  moment.  He  has  been 
driven  nearly  two  miles.  His  flank  has  been 
turned.  His  loss  has  been  very  great,  and  his 
troops  are  beginning  to  be  disheartened.  They 
have  changed  their  opinions  of  the  Yankees. 

General  Johnston  has  Barley's  brigade,  composed 
of  the  Seventh  and  Twenty-fourth  Virginia,  and 
the  Seventh  Louisiana ;  Jackson's  brigade,  com- 
posed of  the  Second,  Fourth,  Fifth,  Twenty-seventh, 
and  Thirty-third  Virginia,  and  the  Thirteenth  Mis- 
sissippi ;  Bee's  and  Bartow's  brigades  united,  com- 
posed of  two  companies  of  the  Eleventh  Missis- 
sippi, Second  Mississippi,  First  Alabama,  Seventh 
and  Eighth  Georgia  ;  Cocke's  brigade,  the  Eigh- 
teenth, Nineteenth,  and  Twenty-eighth  Virginia, 
seven  companies  of  the  Eighth,  and  three  of  the 
Forty-ninth  Virginia ;  Evans's  brigade,  composed 
of  Hampton's  legion,  Fourth  South  Carolina,  and 
Wheat's  Louisiana  battalion;  Holmes's  brigade, 
composed  of  two  regiments  of  Virginia  infantry, 
the  First  Arkansas,  and  the  Second  Tennessee. 
Two  regiments  of  Bonham's  brigade,  and  Elzey's 
brigade  were  brought  in  before  the  conflict  wai 


64  THS  UArvLE   OF  BULL  BUN. 

Want  of  Order.  Bttagglera.  The  tight  got*  on. 

over.  Putting  the  detached  companies  into  regi- 
ments, Johnston's  whole  force  engaged  in  this  last 
struggle  is  thirty-five  regiments  of  infantry,  and 
about  forty  pieces  of  artillery,  all  gathered  upon 
the  ridge  by  Mr.  Lewis's  and  Mrs.  Henry's. 

There  is  marching  to  and  fro  of  regiments. 
There  is  not  much  order.  Regiments  are  scat- 
tered. The  lines  are  not  even.  This  is  the  first 
battle,  and  officers  and  men  are  inexperienced. 
There  are  a  great  many  stragglers  on  both  sides ; 
more,  probably,  from  the  Rebel  ranks  than  from 
McDowell's  army,  for  thus  far  the  battle  has  gone 
Igainst  them.  You  can  see  them  scattered  over 
the  fields,  beyond  Mr.  Lewis's. 

The  fight  goes  on.  The  artillery  crashes  louder 
than  before.  There  is  a  continuous  rattle  of  mus- 
ketry. It  is  like  the  roaring  of  a  hail-storm. 
Sherman  and  Keyes  move  down  to  the  foot  of  the 
hill,  near  Mr.  Lewis's.  Burnside  and  Porter  march 
across  the  turnpike.  Franklin  and  Howard  and 
Wilcox,  who  have  been  pushing  south,  turn  to- 
wards the  southeast.  There  are  desperate  hand- 
to-hand  encounters.  Cannon  are  taken  and  re- 
taken. Gunners  on  both  sides  are  shot  while 
loading  their  pieces.  Hundreds  fall,  and  other 
hundreds  leave  the  ranks.  The  woods  toward 
Sudley  Springs  are  filled  with  wounded  men  and 
fugitives,  weak,  thirsty,  hungry,  exhausted,  worn 
down  by  the  long  morning  march,  want  of  sleep, 
lack  of  food,  and  the  excitement  of  the  hour. 


THE   BATTLE   OF   BULL   RUN.  55 

Che  RebeU  drlren.  "  We  are  defe»Ud  !  "    Griffin  and  Ricketts  thrown  forwd. 

Across  the  plains,  towards  Manassas,  are  other 
crowds,  —  disappointed,  faint-hearted,  defeated  sol- 
diers, fleeing  for  safety. 

"  We  are  defeated  !  " 

"  Our  regiments  are  cut  to  pieces  !  " 

"  General  Bartow  is  wounded  and  General  Bee 
is  killed ! " 

Thus  they  cry,  as  they  hasten  towards  Manassas.* 
Officers  and  men  in  the  Rebel  ranks  feel  that  the 
battle  is  all  but  lost.  Union  officers  and  men 
feel  that  it  is  almost  won. 

The  Rebel  right  wing,  far  out  upon  the  turn 
pike,  has  been  folded  back  upon  the  centre ;  the 
centre  has  been  driven  in  upon  the  left  wing,  and 
the  left  wing  has  been  pushed  back  beyond  Mr. 
Lewis's  house.  Griffin's  and  Rickett's  batteries, 
which  had  been  firing  from  the  ridge  west  of  the 
toll-gate,  were  ordered  forward  to  the  knoll  from 
which  the  Rebel  batteries  had  been  driven. 

"  It  is  too  far  in  advance,"  said  General  Griffin. 

"The  Fire  Zouaves  will  support  you,"  said 
General  Barry. 

"  It  is  better  to  have  them  go  in  advance  till 
we  come  into  position  ;  then  they  can  fall  back," 
Griffin  replied. 

"  No ;  you  are  to  move  first,  those  are  the  or- 
ders. The  Zouaves  are  already  to  follow  on  the 
double-quick." 

*  Kebel  report!  in  Rebellion  Record. 


66  THE  BATTLE   OF  BULL  BUR. 

Their  new  Position.    Wlut  GraeralJahnfton  Mid.    The  field  abaa*  wan. 

"  I  will  go  ;  but,  mark  my  words,  they  will  not 
•upport  me." 

The  battery  galloped  over  the  fields,  descended 
the  hill,  crossed  the  ravine,  advancing  to  the  brow 
of  the  hill  near  Mrs.  Henry's,  followed  by  Rickett's 
battery,  the  Fire  Zouaves,  and  the  Fourteenth  New 
York.  In  front  of  them,  about  forty  or  fifty  rods 
distant,  were  the  Rebel  batteries,  supported  by 
infantry.  Griffin  and  Ricketts  came  into  position, 
and  opened  a  fire  so  terrible  and  destructive  that 
the  Rebel  batteries  and  infantry  were  driven  be- 
yond the  crest  of  the  hill. 

The  field  was  almost  won.  Read  what  General 
Johnston  says  :  "  The  long  contest  against  fivefold 
odds,  and  heavy  losses,  especially  of  field  officers, 
had  greatly  discouraged  the  troops  of  General  Bee 
and  Colonel  Evans.  The  aspect  of  affairs  was 
critical." 

The  correspondent  of  the  Charleston  Mercury 
writes :  "  When  I  entered  on  the  field  at  two 
o'clock,  the  fortunes  of  the  day  were  dark.  The 
remnants  of  the  regiments,  so  badly  injured  or 
wounded  and  worn,  as  they  staggered  out  gave 
gloomy  pictures  of  the  scene.  We  could  not  be 
routed,  perhaps,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  we 
were  destined  to  a  victory." 

The  correspondent  of  the  Richmond  Despatch 
writes:  "Fighting  for  hours  under  a  hot  sun, 
without  a  drop  of  water  near,  the  conduct  of  oui 


THE  BATTLB  OP  BULL  BUN.  51 

3rUBn  riddle*  Mm  Henry'i  Home.          Arriral  of  Rebel  BelnforaoMota. 

men  could  not  be  excelled ;  but  human  endurance 
has  its  bounds,  and  all  seemed  about  to  be  lost" 
The  battle  surges  around  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Henry.  She  is  lying  there  amidst  its  thunders. 
Rebel  sharpshooters  take  possession  of  it,  and 
pick  off  Rickett's  gunners.  He  turns  his  guns 
upon  the  house.  Crash  I  crash !  crash !  It  is  rid 
died  with  grape  and  canister.  Sides,  roof,  doors, 
and  windows  are  pierced,  broken,  and  splintered. 
The  bed-clothes  are  cut  into  rags,  and  the  aged 
woman  instantly  killed.  The  Rebel  regiments 
melt  away.  The  stream  of  fugitives  toward  Ma- 
nassas  grows  more  dense.  Johnston  has  had  more 
men  and  more  guns  engaged  than  McDowell; 
but  he  has  been  steadily  driven.  But  Rebel  rein- 
forcements arrive  from  an  unexpected  quarter, 
—  General  Smith's  brigade,  from  the  Shenandoah. 
It  comes  into  action  in  front  of  Wilcox.  There 
are  from  two  to  three  thousand  men.  General 
Smith  is  wounded  almost  at  the  first  fire,  and 
Colonel  Elzey  takes  command.  General  Bonham 
sends  two  regiments,  the  Second  and  Eighth  South 
Carolina.  They  keep  south  of  Mrs.  Henry's,  and 
march  on  till  they  are  in  position  to  fire  almost 
upon  the  backs  of  Griffin's  and  Rickett's  gunners. 
They  march  through  a  piece  of  woods,  reach  th» 
top  of  the  hill,  and  come  into  line.  Captain  Im- 
boden,  of  the  Rebel  battv  ,  who  is  replying  to 
Griffin,  sees  them.  Who  are  they?  He  thinks 


58  THE   BATTLE   OF  BULL  BDH. 

Griffin  ready  to  annihilate  them.     The  fatal  MUUke.      Captain  Imbodm. 

they  are  Yankees  flanking  him.  He  wheels  his 
guns,  and  is  ready  to  cut  them  down  with  grape 
and  canister.  Captain  Griffin  sees  them,  and 
wheels  his  guns.  Another  instant,  and  he  will 
sweep  them  away.  He  believes  them  to  be  Rebels. 
His  gunners  load  with  grape  and  canister. 

"  Do  not  fire  upon  them ;  they  are  your  sup- 
ports ! "  shouts  Major  Barry,  riding  up. 

"No,  sir;  they  are  Rebels." 

"  They  are  your  supports,  just  ordered  up." 

"  As  sure  as  the  world,  they  are  Rebels." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Captain ;  they  are  your 
supports." 

The  cannoneers  stand  ready  to  pull  the  lan- 
yards, which  will  send  a  tornado  through  those 
ranks. 

"  Don't  fire  !  "  shouts  the  Captain. 

The  guns  are  wheeled  again  towards  Mrs.  Hen- 
ry's, and  the  supposed  supports  are  saved  from 
destruction  at  the  hand  of  Captain  Griffin. 

Captain  Imooden,  before  ordering  his  men  to 
fire  upon  the  supposed  Yankees,  gallops  nearer 
to  them,  to  see  who  they  are.  He  sees  them  raise 
their  guns.  There  is  a  flash,  a  rattle  and  roll. 
Griffin's  and  Rickett's  men  and  their  horses  go 
down  in  an  instant !  They  rush  on  with  a  yell. 
There  is  sharp,  hot,  decisive  work.  Close  musket- 
shots  and  sabre-strokes.  Men  are  trampled  be- 
neath the  struggling  horses. 


THE  BATTLE   OF  BULL  BUN.  59 

The  Battle  lost!  The  B«tnnt. 

There  are  shouts  and  hurrahs.  The  few  sol- 
diers remaining  to  support  Griffin  and  Bickett 
fire  at  the  advancing  Rebel  brigade,  but  the  con- 
test is  unequal ;  they  are  not  able  to  hold  in 
check  the  three  thousand  fresh  troops.  They 
fall  back.  The  guns  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
Rebels.  The  day  is  lost.  At  the  very  moment 
of  victory  the  line  is  broken.  In  an  instant  all 
is  changed.  A  moment  ago  we  were  pressing 
on,  but  now  we  are  falling  back.  Quick  almost 
as  the  lightning's  flash  is  the  turning  of  the  tide. 
All  through  a  mistake!  So  great  events  some- 
times hang  on  little  things. 

The  unexpected  volley,  the  sudden  onset,  the 
vigorous  charge,  the  falling  back,  produces  con- 
fusion in  the  Union  ranks.  Officers  and  men, 
generals  and  soldiers  alike,  are  confounded.  By 
a  common  impulse  they  begin  to  fall  back  across 
the  turnpike.  Unaccountably  to  theaiselves,  and 
to  the  Rebel  fugitives  streaming  towards  Manassas, 
they  lose  strength  and  heart.  The  falling  back 
becomes  a  retreat,  a  sudden  panic  and  a  rout. 
Regiments  break  and  mix  with  others.  Soldiers 
drop  their  guns  and  cartridge-boxes,  and  rush 
towards  the  rear. 

I  had  watched  the  tide  of  battle  through  the 
day.  Everything  was  favorable.  The  heat  was 
intense,  and  I  was  thirsty.  A  soldier  came  past 
with  a  back-load  of  canteens  freshly  filled. 


tfO  THE  BATTLE   OF  BULL  BUM. 


BULL  Run  BATTLE-GBOCITO,  July  21,  1861. 

1  M«e  Bridge.  8  Porter',  and  Burnside'i  brigade* 

S  Budley  Spring*  «  Sherman's  and  Keyw'f  brig»d«». 

8  ToU-gatf  kept  by  Mr.  Matiuy  10  Griffin's  and  Bfckett'i  batterte. 

4  Mr.  Dogan'i  hotue.  11  Kebel  reinforcements  which  fired  iq 

*  Mr*.  Henry'f.  Oriffln. 

•  Mr.  Lewis's.  13  Position  of   Rebel  army  wheo 
T  WUcox'i,  Howart'i,  and  frmnklln'*  Union  Une  gare  way. 


THE  BATTLE  OP  BULL  BUS.  01 

drink  of  W»Ur.  The  1UM Ctmtrf.  Theftate." 

"  Where  did  you  find  the  water  ? " 

"  Over  there  in  the  woods,  in  the  rear  of 
Schenck's  brigade." 

I  passed  the  brigade.  Ayers's  and  Carlisle's 
batteries  were  there.  I  found  the  spring  beyond 
a  little  hillock.  While  drinking,  there  was  sud- 
den confusion  in  Schenck's  brigade.  There  was 
loud  talking,  cannon  and  musketry  firing,  and 
a  sudden  trampling  of  horses.  A  squadron  of 
Rebel  cavalry  swept  past  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  spring,  charging  upon  Schenck's  brigade. 
The  panic  tide  had  come  rolling  to  the  rear. 
Ayers  lashed  his  horses  to  a  gallop,  to  reach  Cub 
Run  bridge.  He  succeeded  in  crossing  it.  He 
came  into  position  to  open  upon  the  Rebels  and 
to  check  their  pursuit.  The  road  was  blocked 
with  wagons.  Frightened  teamsters  cut  their 
horses  loose  and  rode  away.  Soldiers,  officers, 
and  civilians  fled  towards  Centreville,  frightened 
at  they  knew  not  what.  Blenker's  brigade  was 
thrown  forward  from  Centreville  to  the  bridge, 
and  the  rout  was  stopped.  The  Rebels  were  too 
much  exhausted,  too  much  amazed  at  the  sud- 
den and  unaccountable  breaking  and  fleeing  of 
McDowell's  army,  to  improve  the  advantage. 
They  followed  to  Cub  Run  bridge,  but  a  few 
cannon  and  musket  shots  sent  them  back  to 
the  Stone  Bridge. 

But  at  Blackburn's  Ford  General  Jones  crossed 


THE  BATTLE   OF   BULL  RUN. 


The  Rebel  Attack  at  Blackburn's  Ford. 


General  Daries'i  Order* 


the  stream  to  attack  the  retreating  troops.  Gen- 
eral Davies,  with  four  regiments  and  Hunt's  bat- 
tery, occupied  the  crest  of  a  hill  looking  down 
towards  the  ford.  The  Rebels  marched  through 
the  woods  upon  the  bank  of  the  stream,  wound 
along  the  hillside,  filed  through  a  farm-yard  and 
halted  in  a  hollow  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of 
General  Davies's  guns. 


FIGHT  AT  BLACKBUBK'B  FORD,  July  21,  1868. 


1  Blackburn's  Ford. 
9  Mitchell's  Ford. 
S  Rebel  troops. 


4  DariM'i  brigade  and  V 
6  Richardion'*  brigade. 


"  Lie  down,"  said  the  General,  and  the  four 
regiments  dropped  upon  the  ground.  The  six 
cannon  and  the  gunners  alone  were  in  sight. 

"  Wait  till  they  come  over  the  crest  of  the  hill ; 
wait  till  I  give  the  word,"  said  the  General  to 
Captain  Hunt. 


THE   BATTLE    OF   BULL   BUN. 


The  men  stand  motionless  by  their  pieces.  The 
long  column  of  Rebels  moves  on.  There  is  an 
officer  on  his  horse  giving  directions.  The  long 
dark  line  throws  its  lengthening  shadows  upward 
in  the  declining  sunlight,  toward  the  silent 
cannon. 

"  Now  let  them  have  it ! "  The  guns  are  silent 
no  longer.  Six  flashes  of  light,  and  six  sulphu- 
rous clouds  are  belched  towards  the  moving  mass. 
Grape  and  canister  sweep  them  down.  The  officer 
tumbles  from  his  horse,  and  the  horse  staggers 
to  the  earth.  There  are  sudden  gaps  in  the 
ranks.  They  stop  advancing.  Officers  run  here 
and  there.  Another  merciless  storm,  —  another, 
—  another.  Eighteen  flashes  a  minute  from  those 
six  pieces !  Like  grass  before  the  mower  the 
Eebel  line  is  cut  down.  The  men  flee  to  the 
woods,  utterly  routed. 

The  attempt  to  cut  off  the  retreat  signally 
failed.  It  was  the  last  attempt  of  the  Rebels  to 
follow  up  their  mysterious  victory.  The  rear- 
guard remained  in  Centreville  till  morning 
recovering  five  cannon  which  had  been  aban- 
doned at  Cub  Run,  which  the  Rebels  had  not 
secured,  and  then  retired  to  Arlington. 

So  the  battle  was  won  and  lost.  So  the  hopes 
of  the  Union  soldiers  changed  to  sudden,  unac- 
countable fear,  and  so  the  fear  of  the  Rebels 
became  unbounded  exultation. 


64  THE   BATTLE  OF   BULL  BUN. 

Might.    How  the  KcbeU  treated  the  ] 

The  sun  had  gone  down  behind  the  Blue 
Mountains,  and  the  battle-clouds  hung  thick  and 
heavy  along  the  winding  stream  where  the  con- 
flict had  raged.  It  was  a  sad  night  to  us  who 
had  gone  out  with  such  high  hopes,  who  had  seen 
the  victory  so  nearly  won  and  so  suddenly  lost. 
Many  of  our  wounded  were  lying  where  they  had 
fallen.  It  was  a  terrible  night  to  them.  Their 
enemies,  some  of  them,  were  hard-hearted  and 
cruel.  They  fired  into  the  hospitals  upon  help- 
less men.  They  refused  them  water  to  quench 
their  burning  thirst.  They  taunted  them  in  their 
hour  of  triumph,  and  heaped  upon  them  bitterest 
curses.  They  were  wild  with  the  delirium  of 
success,  and  treated  their  prisoners  with  savage 
barbarity.  Any  one  who  showed  kindness  to  the 
prisoners  or  wounded  was  looked  upon  with  sus- 
picion. Says  an  English  officer  in  the  Rebel 
service:  —  * 

"  I  made  it  my  duty  to  seek  out  and  attend 
upon  the  wounded,  and  the  more  so  when  I 
found  that  the  work  of  alleviating  their  sufferings 
was  performed  with  evident  reluctance  and  want 
of  zeal  by  many  of  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  do 
it.  I  looked  upon  the  poor  fellows  only  as  suf- 
fering fellow-mortals,  brothers  in  need  of  help, 
and  made  no  distinction  between  friend  and  foe  ; 
nay,  I  must  own  that  I  was  prompted  to  give  the 
preference  to  the  latter,  for  the  reason  that  some 

•Ertrtn. 


THE  BATTLE   OF   BULL  BUN.  64 

The  Pjtog  Patriot,  ' 

of  our  men  met  with  attention  from  their  rela- 
tions and  friends,  who  had  flocked  to  the  field 
in  numbers  to  see  them.  But  in  doing  so  I  had 
to  encounter  opposition,  and  was  even  pointed  at 
by  some  with  muttered  curses  as  a  traitor  to  the 
cause  of  the  Confederacy  for  bestowing  any  atten- 
tion on  the  d Yankees." 

Notwithstanding  the  inhuman  treatment  they 
received  at  the  hands  of  their  captors,  there  were 
men  on  that  field  who  never  quailed,  —  men  with 
patriotism  so  fervent,  deep,  and  unquenchable, 
that  they  lay  down  cheerfully  to  their  death-sleep 
This  officer  <n  the  Rebel  service  went  out  upon  tb* 
field  where  the  fight  had  been  thickest.  It  was 
night.  Around  him  were  the  dying  and  the  dead. 
There  was  a  young  Union  officer,  with  both  feet 
crushed  by  a  cannon-shot.  There  were  tears  upon 
his  cheeks. 

"  Courage,  comrade !  "  said  the  officer,  bending 
over  him  ;  "  the  day  will  come  when  you  will  re- 
member this  battle  as  one  of  the  things  of  the 
past." 

"  Do  not  give  me  false  hopes,  sir.  It  is  all  up 
with  me.  I  do  not  grieve  that  I  must  die,  for 
with  these  stumps  I  shall  not  live  long." 

He  pointed  to  his  mangled  feet,  and  added :  "  1 
weep  for  my  poor>  distracted  country.  Had  I  a 
second  life  to  live,  I  would  willingly  sacrifice  it 
for  the  cause  of  the  Union!" 


66  THE   BATTLE   OF  BULL  BUN. 


The  Zoo»Te  and  the  Virginian. 


His  eyes  closed.  A  smile  lighted  his  counte- 
nance,  as  if,  while  on  the  border  of  another  world, 
he  saw  once  more  those  who  were  dearest  on  earth 
or  in  heaven.  He  raised  himself  convulsively, 
and  cried,  "Mother I  Father!" 

He  was  dead. 

He  sleeps  upon  the  spot  where  he  fell.  His 
name  is  unknown,  but  his  devotion  to  his  country 
shall  shine  forevennore  like  a  star  in  heaven  ! 

When  the  Union  line  gave  way,  some  of  the 
soldiers  were  so  stupefied  by  the  sudden  change 
that  they  were  unable  to  move,  and  were  taken 
prisoners.  Among  them  was  a  Zouave,  in  red 
trousers.  He  was  a  tall,  noble  fellow.  Although 
a  prisoner,  he  walked  erect,  unabashed  by  his  cap- 
tivity. A  Virginian  taunted  him,  and  called  him 
by  hard  names. 

"Sir,"  said  the  Zouave,  «I  have  heard  that 
yours  was  a  nation  of  gentlemen,  but  your  insult 
comes  from  a  coward  and  a  knave.  I  am  your 
prisoner,  but  you  have  no  right  to  fling  your 
curses  at  me  because  I  am  unfortunate.  Of  the 
two,  I  consider  myself  the  gentleman."  * 

The  Virginian  hung  his  head  in  silence,  while 
other  Rebel  soldiers  assured  the  brave  fellow 
that  he  should  not  again  be  insulted.  So  bravery, 
true  courage,  and  manliness  will  win  respect  even 
from  enemies. 

•Charleston  Mercury 


THE  BATTLE  OF  BULL  BUN.  67 


DM  Mbct  of  the  Battle.  The  North  not  dl«ootrmg*L 

No  accurate  reports  have  been  made  of  the 
number  of  men  killed  and  wounded  in  this  battle ; 
but  each  side  lost  probably  from  fifteen  hundred 
to  two  thousand  men. 

It  was  a  battle  which  will  always  have  a  memo- 
rable place  in  the  history  of  this  Rebellion,  because 
having  won  a  victory,  the  slaveholders  believed 
that  they  could  conquer  the  North.  They  became 
more  proud  and  insolent.  They  manifested  their 
terrible  hate  by  their  inhuman  treatment  of  the 
prisoners  captured.  They  gave  the  dead  indecent 
burial.  The  Rebel  soldiers  dug  up  the  bones  of 
the  dead  Union  men,  and  carved  them  into  orna- 
ments, which  they  sent  home  to  their  wives  and 
sweethearts.  One  girl  wrote  to  her  lover  to  "  be 
sure  and  bring  her  Old  Lincoln's  skelp  "  (scalp), 
so  that  the  women  as  well  as  the  men  became 
fierce  in  their  hatred.  I  have  seen  the  letter, 
which  was  found  upon  a  prisoner. 

The  North,  although  defeated,  was  not  discour- 
aged. There  was  no  thought  of  giving  up  the 
contest,  but,  as  you  remember,  there  was  a  great 
uprising  of  the  people,  who  determined  that  the 
war  should  go  on  till  the  Rebellion  was  crushed 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THB   CAPTURE   OF   POBT   HKHKY. 


TnmeMMe  and  Kentucky. 


FT1ENNESSEE  joined  the  Southern  Confederacy, 
J-  but  Kentucky  resisted  all  the  coaxing,  threat- 
ening, and  planning  of  the  leaders  of  the  Rebellion. 
Some  Kentuckians  talked  of  remaining  neutral, 
of  taking  no  part  in  the  great  contest ;  but  that 
was  not  possible.  The  Rebels  invaded  the  State, 
by  sailing  up  the  Mississippi  and  taking  possession 
of  Columbus,  —  a  town  twenty  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio.  They  also  advanced  from 
Nashville  to  Bowling  Green.  Then  the  State 
decided  for  the  Union,  —  to  stand  by  the  old 
flag  till  the  Rebellion  should  be  crushed. 

The  Rebels  erected  two  forts  on  the  northern 
line  of  Tennessee.  Looking  at  your  map,  you  see 
that  the  Cumberland  and  Tennessee  Rivers  are  near 
together  where  they  enter  the  State  of  Kentucky. 
They  are  not  more  than  twelve  miles  apart.  The 
fort  on  the  Tennessee  River  was  named  Fort  Hen- 
ry, the  one  on  the  Cumberland,  Port  Donelson. 
A  good  road  was  cut  through  the  woods  between 
them,  so  that  troops  and  supplies  could  be  readily 


THE  CAPTUBE  OF  FOET  HENBT. 


69 


removed  from  one  to  the  other.  Fort  Henry  was 
on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  and  Fort 
Donelson  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Cumber- 
land. They  were  very  important  places  to  the 
Rebels,  for  at  high  water  in  the  winter  the  rivers 
are  navigable  for  the  largest  steamboats,  —  the 
Cumberland  to  Nashville  and  the  Tennessee  to 
Florence,  in  Northern  Alabama,  —  and  it  would 
be  very  easy  to  transport  an  army  from  the  Ohio 
River  to  the  very  heart  of  the  Southern  Confed- 
eracy.  The  forts  were  built  to  prevent  any  such 
movement  of  the  Union  troops. 


THX  Fours. 


The  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  River  at  Columbui 
are  two  hundred  feet  high.     There  the  Rebel* 


70  THE  CAPTURE  OF   FOBT  HENBI. 

What  the  Bebeli  laid.  Captain  loote  and  his  Gunboat*  C*nx 

erected  strong  batteries,  planting  heavy  guns, 
with  which  they  could  sweep  the  Mississippi  fai 
up  stream,  and  pour  plunging  shots  with  un- 
obstructed aim  upon  any  descending  gunboat. 
They  called  it  a  Gibraltar,  because  of  its  strength. 
They  said  it  could  not  be  taken,  and  that  the 
Mississippi  was  closed  to  navigation  till  the  in- 
dependence of  the  Southern  Confederacy  was  ac- 
knowledged. 

Early  in  the  war  it  was  seen  that  a  fleet  ef  gun- 
boats would  be  needed  on  the  Western  rivers,  and 
Captain  Andrew  H.  Foote  of  the  navy  was  placed 
in  charge  of  their  construction.  They  were  built 
at  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis,  and  taken  to  Cairo, 
where  they  received  their  armament,  crews,  and 
outfit. 

You  have  heard  of  Cairo.  I  do  not  mean  the 
ancient  city  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  but  the 
modern  town  on  the  tongue  of  land  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Ohio.  Charles  Dickens  has  given  a  de- 
scription of  the  place  in  one  of  his  delightful 
books,  —  Martin  Chuzzlewit.  It  was  a  forest, 
with  a  few  log-huts,  when  Mark  Tapley  resided 
there,  and  all  the  people  were  smitten  with  fever 
and  ague.  It  is  a  town  now,  with  several  thou- 
sand inhabitants.  In  the  spring  the  town  is 
sometimes  overflowed,  and  the  people  navigate 
the  streets  with  boats  and  rafts.  Pigs  look  out 
of  the  chamber  windows,  and  dogs,  cats,  and 


THE  CAPTDBE   OF  FOKT  HENBT.  71 

iter.  A  hx*  «t  tba  PUce.  Muddy  8tMrt». 

chickens  live  on  the  roofs  of  houses  at  such 
times. 

Let  us  take  a  look  at  the  place  as  it  appeared 
the  first  day  of  February,  1862.  Stand  with  me 
on  the  levee,  and  look  up  the  broad  Ohio,  —  the 
*'  la  belle  riviSre,"  as  the  French  called  it.  There 
are  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  steamboats  lying  along 
the  bank,  with  volumes  of  black  smoke  rolling  up 
from  their  tall  chimneys,  and  puffs  of  steam  van 
ishing  in  the  air.  Among  them  are  the  gunboats, 
—  a  cross  between  a  floating  fort,  a  dredging-ma- 
chine,  and  a  mud-scow.  The  sailors,  who  have 
been  tossed  upon  the  ocean  in  stately  ships,  call 
them  mud-turkles.  There  are  thousands  of  sol- 
diers on  the  steamboats  and  on  the  shore,  waiting 
for  the  sailing  of  the  expedition  which  is  to  make 
an  opening  in  the  line  of  Rebel  defences.  There 
are  thousands  of  people  busy  as  bees,  loading 
and  unloading  the  steamboats,  rolling  barrel* 
and  boxes. 

When  Mark  Tapley  and  Martin  Chuzdewit  were 
here  it  was  muddy,  and  it  is  muddy  now.  There 
is  fine,  thin,  sticky,  slimy,  splashy,  thick,  heavy, 
dirty  mud.  Thousands  of  men  and  thousands  of 
mules  and  horses  are  treading  it  to  mortar.  It  is 
mixed  with  slops  from  the  houses  and  straw  from 
the  stables.  You  are  reminded  of  the  Slough  of 
Despond  described  by  Bunyan  in  the  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  —  a  place  for  all  the  filth,  sin,  and  slime 


72       THE  CAPTURE  OF  FOBT  HENBT. 


of  this  world.  Christian  was  mired  there,  and 
Pliable  nearly  lost  his  life.  If  Bunyan  had  seen 
Cairo,  he  might  have  made  the  picture  still  more 
graphic.  There  are  old  houses,  shanties,  sheds, 
•tables,  pig-sties,  wood-piles,  carts,  wagons,  barrels, 
boxes,  and  all  the  old  things  you  can  imagine. 
Pigs  live  in  the  streets,  and  there  are  irrepressible 
conflicts  between  them  and  the  hundreds  of  dogs. 
Water-carts,  drays,  army-wagons,  and  artillery  go 
hub  deep  in  the  mud.  Horses  tug  and  strive, 
rear,  kick,  and  flounder.  Teamsters  lose  their 
footing.  Soldiers  wade  leg  deep  in  the  street. 
There  are  sidewalks,  but  they  are  slippery,  dan- 
gerous, and  deceptive. 

It  is  Sunday.  A  sweet  day  of  rest  in  peaceful 
times,  but  in  war  there  is  not  much  observance  of 
the  Sabbath.  It  is  midwinter,  but  a  south- wind 
sweeps  up  the  Mississippi,  so  mild  and  balmy  that 
the  blue-birds  and  robins  are  out.  The  steam- 
boats are  crowded  with  troops,  who  are  waiting 
for  orders  to  sail,  they  know  not  where.  Groups 
stand  upon  the  topmost  deck.  Some  lie  at  full 
length  in  the  warm  sunshine.  The  bands  are 
playing,  the  drums  beating.  Tug-boats  are  dan- 
cing, wheezing,  and  puffing  in  the  stream,  flitting 
from  gunboat  to  gunboat. 

The  shops  are  open,  and  the  soldiers  are  pur- 
chasing knickknacks,  —  tobacco,  pipes,  paper,  and 
pens,  to  send  letters  to  loved  ones  far  away. 


THE   CAPTURE   OF  FORT  HENRY.  78 

The  Dead  Boldler.  Going  to  Church. 

a  gingerbread  stall,  a  half-dozen  are  taking  a 
lunch.  The  oyster-saloons  are  crowded.  Boys 
are  crying  their  newspapers.  There  are  laugh- 
able and  solemn  scenes.  Yonder  is  the  hos- 
pital. A  file  of  soldiers  stand  waiting  in  the 
street.  A  coffin  is  brought  out.  The  fife  begins 
its  mournful  air,  the  drum  its  muffled  beat.  The 
procession  moves  away,  bearing  the  dead  soldier 
to  his  silent  home. 

A  few  months  ago  he  was  a  citizen,  cultivating 
his  farm  upon  the  prairies,  ploughing,  sowing, 
reaping.  But  now  the  great  reaper,  Death,  has 
gathered  him  in.  He  had  no  thought  of  being  a 
soldier ;  but  he  was  a  patriot,  and  when  his  country 
called  him  he  sprang  to  her  aid.  He  yielded  to  dis- 
ease, but  not  to  the  enemy.  He  was  far  from  home 
and  friends,  with  none  but  strangers  to  minister  to 
his  wants,  to  comfort  him,  to  tell  him  of  a  better 
world  than  this.  He  gave  his  life  to  his  country. 

Although  there  is  the  busy  note  of  preparation 
for  the  sailing  of  the  fleet,  there  are  some  who 
remember  that  it  is  Sunday,  and  who  find  time  to 
worship.  The  church-bells  toll  the  hour.  You 
tuck  your  pants  into  your  boots,  and  pick  your 
way  along  the  slippery,  slimy  streets.  There  are 
a  few  ladies  who  brave  the  mud,  wearing  boots 
suited  to  the  walking.  Boots  which  have  not  been 
blacked  for  a  fortnight  are  just  as  shiny  as  those 
cleaned  but  an  hour  ago.  At  the  door  of  th» 


74  THE   CAPTURE   OF  FORT  HENRY. 

A  Virit  to  tto  Gunboat*. 

church  you  do  as  everybody  else  does,  —  tako  a 
chip  and  scrape  off  the  mud. 

Half  of  the  congregation  are  from  the  army 
and  navy.  Commodore  Foote  is  there,  a  devout 
worshipper.  Before  coming  to  church  he  visited 
each  gunboat  of  his  fleet,  called  the  crews  together, 
read  to  them  his  general  orders,  that  no  unneces- 
sary work  should  be  done  on  the  Sabbath,  and 
enjoining  upon  the  commanders  the  duty  of  hav- 
ing worship,  and  of  maintaining  a  high  moral 
character  before  the  men. 

Let  us  on  Monday  accept  the  kind  invitation  of 
Commodore  Foote,  and  go  on  board  the  Benton,  his 
flag-ship,  and  make  an  inspection  of  the  strange- 
looking  craft.  It  is  unlike  anything  you  ever  saw 
at  Boston  or  New  York.  It  is  like  a  great  box  on 
a  raft.  The  sides  are  inclined,  made  of  stout  oak 
timbers  and  plated  with  iron.  You  enter  through 
a  porthole,  where  you  may  lay  your  hand  upon 
the  iron  lips  of  a  great  gun,  which  throws  a 
ball  nine  inches  in  diameter.  There  are  four- 
teen guns,  with  stout  oaken  carriages.  The  men 
are  moving  about,  exercising  the  guns,  —  going 
through  the  motions  of  loading  and  firing.  How 
clean  the  floor  !  It  is  as  white  as  soap  and  sand 
can  make  it.  You  must  not  spit  tobacco-juice 
here,  if  you  do,  the  courteous  officer  will  say  you 
are  violating  the  rules.  In  the  centre  of  the  boat, 
down  beneath  the  gun-deck  in  the  hull,  are  the 


THE   CAPTURE   OF   FORT   HENRY.  75 

Scenes  on  Board.  The  Sacred  Place. 

engines  and  the  boilers,  partly  protected  from  any 
shot  which  may  happen  to  come  in  at  a  porthole, 
or  which  may  tear  through  the  sides,  —  through 
the  iron  and  the  oak.  Near  the  centre  is  the  wheel. 
The  top  of  the  box,  or  the  casemate,  as  it  is  called, 
is  of  oak  timbers,  and  forms  the  upper  deck. 
The  pilot-house  is  on  this  upper  deck,  forward  of 
the  centre.  In  shape  it  is  like  a  tunnel  turned 
down.  It  is  plated  with  thick  iron.  There,  in  the 
hour  of  battle,  the  pilot  will  be,  peeping  out 
through  narrow  holes,  his  hands  grasping  the 
wheel  and  steering  the  vessel. 

Its  guns,  which  the  sailors  call  its  battery,  are 
very  powerful.  There  are  two  nine-inch  guns, 
and  also  two  sixty-four-pounders,  rifled,  at  the 
bow.  There  are  two  forty-two-pounders  at  the 
stern,  and  those  upon  the  side  are  thirty-twos  and 
twenty-fours.  There  are  rooms  for  the  officers, 
but  the  men  sleep  in  hammocks.  They  take  their 
meals  sitting  on  the  gun-carriages,  or  cross-legged, 
like  Turks,  on  the  floor. 

Captain  Foote  is  the  Commodore  of  the  fleet. 
He  points  out  to  you  the  Sacred  Place  of  the  ship, 
—  a  secluded  corner,  where  any  one  of  the  crew 
who  loves  to  read  his  Bible  and  hold  secret  devo- 
tion may  do  so,  and  not  be  disturbed.  He  has 
given  a  library  of  good  books  to  the  crew,  and  he 
has  persuaded  them  that  it  will  be  better  for  them 
to  give  up  their  allowance  of  grog  than  to  drink 


76       TKK  CAPTURE  OF  FOKT  HENBf, 

Bailing  of  th«  ItoupMitloo.  The  Soontj  on  Shore.  Torpedo**. 


it  He  w«dkr  among  the  men,  and  has  a  kind 
word  for  all,  and  they  look  upon  him  as  their 
father,  Thej"  have  confidence  in  him.  How 
lustily  they  cheer  him!  Will  they  not  fight 
bravely  under  such  a  commander  ? 

On  Monday  afternoon,  February  2d,  the  gun- 
boats QincinnaU,  Essex,  St.  Louis,  Carondelet,  Lex- 
ington, Tyler,  <md  Conestoga  sailed  from  Cairo, 
accompanied  by  several  river  steamboats  with  ten 
regiixxmts  of  troops.  They  went  up  the  Ohio  to 
Paducah,  and  entered  the  Tennessee  River  at 
darlr.  The  next  morning,  about  daylight,  they 
anchored  a  fow  miles  below  Fort  Henry.  Com- 
modore Foote  made  the  Cincinnati  his  flag-ship. 

A.  party  of  «couts  went  on  shore  and  called  at  a 
farm-house.  "  You  never  will  take  Fort  Henry," 
said  the  woimm  living  there. 

"  0  yes,  we  shall  ;  we  have  a  fleet  of  iron-clad 
gunboats,"  said  one  of  the  scouts. 

"  Your  gunboats  will  be  blown  sky-high  before 
they  get  up  to  the  fort." 

"  Ah  !  how  so  ?  " 

The  woman  saw  that  she  was  letting  out  a  se- 
cret, and  became  silent.  The  scouts  mistrusted 
that  ehe  knew  something  which  might  be  desira- 
ble for  them  to  know,  and  informed  her  that,  unless 
she  told  all  she  knew,  she  must  go  with  them  a 
prisoner.  She  was  frightened,  and  informed  them 


THE    CAPTURE    OF   FORT    HENRY.  77 

A  Look  at  Fort  Henry. In§ld«  the  IntrenchmenU. 

that  the  river  was  full  of  torpedoes,  which  would 
blow  up  the  gunboats. 

The  scouts  reported  to  Commodore  Poote.  The 
river  was  searched  with  grappling-irons,  and  six 
infernal  machines  were  fished  up  ;  but  they  were 
imperfectly  constructed,  and  not  one  of  them 
would  explode. 

Looking  up  the  river  from  the  deck  of  one  of 
Commodore  Foote's  gunboats  you  see  Panther 
Island,  which  is  a  mile  from  the  fort.  It  is  a 
long,  narrow  sand-bank,  covered  with  a  thicket 
of  willows.  There  is  the  fort  on  the  eastern  bank. 
You  see  an  irregular  pile  of  earth,  about  fifteen 
feet  above  the  river,  with  sand-bag  embrasures, 
which  at  first  sight  you  think  are  blocks  of  stone, 
but  they  are  grain-sacks  filled  with  sand.  You 
count  the  guns,  seventeen  in  all.  One  ten- 
inch  columbiad,  one  sixty-pounder,  twelve  thirty- 
two-pounders,  one  twenty-four-pounder,  and  two 
twelve-pounders.  They  are  nearly  all  pivoted,  so 
that  they  may  be  pointed  down  the  river  against 
the  boats  or  inland  upon  the  troops.  The  river 
is  nearly  a  half-mile  wide,  and  on  the  opposite 
bank  is  another  fort,  not  yet  completed.  All 
around  Fort  Henry  you  see  rifle-pits  and  breast- 
works, enclosing  twenty  or  thirty  acres.  Abov« 
and  below  the  fort  are  creeks.  The  tall  trees 
are  cut  down  to  obstruct  the  way,  or  to  form  an 
abatis,  as  it  is  called.  It  will  not  be  an  easy 


78        THE  CAP TUBE  OF  FOET  HENBY. 

Commodore  foots  mtend§  to  take  the  Tort.  The  Troop*. 

matter  to  take  the  fort  from  the  land  side.  In- 
side these  intrenchments  is  the  Rebel  camp,  — 
log-huts  and  tents,  with  accommodations  for  sev- 
eral thousand  men. 

Commodore  Foote  has  planned  how  to  take  the 
fort.  He  is  confident  that  he  can  shell  the  Rebels 
out  just  as  you  can  pound  rats  from  a  barrel  or 
a  box,  and  if  General  Grant  will  get  in  rear  and 
watch  his  opportunity,  they  will  all  be  caught. 

General  Grant  lands  two  brigades  of  troops  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  three  brigades  on 
the  east  side,  about  four  miles  below  the  fort. 
Those  on  the  west  side  are  to  look  after  any  Rebels 
which  may  be  in  or  around  the  unfinished  fort, 
while  those  upon  the  east  side,  under  General 
McClernand,  work  their  way  through  the  woods 
to  gain  the  rear  of  the  fort.  This  is  the  order  to 
General  McClernand :  — 

"  It  will  be  the  special  duty  of  this  command  to 
prevent  all  reinforcements  of  Fort  Henry  or  escape 
from  it.  Also  to  be  held  in  readiness  to  charge 
and  take  Fort  Henry  by  storm,  promptly  on  re- 
ceipt of  orders." 

General  Grant  and  Commodore  Foote  agreed 
that  the  gunboats  should  commence  the  attack  at 
twelve  o'clock. 

*•  I  shall  take  the  fort  in  about  an  hour,"  said 
the  Commodore.  "  I  shall  commence  firing  when 
I  reach  the  head  of  Panther  Island,  and  it  \nli 


THE   CAPTURE  OF   FOBT  HENBY.  79 

Commodore  Foote>i  In»u  action*.  What  he  said  to  th«  Orawi. 

take  me  about  an  hour  to  reach  the  fort,  for  I 
shall  steam  up  slowly.  I  am  afraid,  General,  that 
the  roads  are  so  bad  the  troops  will  not  get  round 
in  season  to  capture  the  enemy.  I  shall  take  the 
fort  before  you  get  into  position." 

General  Grant  thought  otherwise ;  but  the 
roads  were  very  muddy,  and  when  the  engage- 
ment commenced  the  troops  were  far  from  where 
they  ought  to  have  been. 

Commodore  Poote  had  prepared  his  instructions 
to  the  officers  and  crews  of  the  gunboats  several 
days  before.  They  were  brief  and  plain. 

"  The  four  iron-clad  boats  —  the  Essex,  Caron- 
delet,  St.  Louis,  and  Cincinnati  —  will  keep  in 
line.  The  Conestoga,  Lexington,  and  Tyler  will 
follow  the  iron-clads,  and  throw  shells  over  those 
in  advance." 

To  the  commanders  he  said :  — 

"  Do  just  as  I  do!" 

Addressing  the  crews,  he  said ;  — 

"  Fire  slowly,  and  with  delibeiate  aim.  There 
are  three  reasons  why  you  should  not  fire  rapidly. 
With  rapid  firing  there  is  always  a  waste  of  am- 
munition. Your  range  is  imperfect,  and  your 
shots  go  wide  of  the  mark,  and  that  encourages 
the  enemy;  and  it  is  desirable  not  to  heat  the 
guns.  If  you  fire  slowly  and  deliberately,  you 
will  keep  cool  yourselves,  and  make  every  shot 
tell." 


80        THE  CAPTUBE  OF  FORT  HENBY. 

~    The  Line  of  Battle.  Xb*  Beginning  of  the  Fight 

With  such  instructions,  with  all  things  ready,  — 
decks  cleared  for  action,  guns  run  out,  shot  and 
shell  brought  up  from  the  magazines  and  piled 
on  deck,  —  confident  of  success,  and  determined 
to  take  the  fort  or  go  to  the  bottom,  he  waited 
the  appointed  hour. 

The  gunboats  steam  up  slowly  against  the 
current,  that  the  troops  may  have  time  to  get 
into  position  in  rear  of  the  Rebel  intrench- 
ments.  They  take  the  channel  on  the  west 
side  of  the  island.  The  Essex  is  on  the  right 
of  the  battle  line,  nearest  the  island.  Her  Com- 
mander is  William  D.  Porter,  who  comes  fronc 
good  stock.  It  was  his  father  who  commanded 
the  Essex  in  the  war  with  Great  Britain  in  1813, 
and  who  fought  most  gallantly  a  superior  force, 
—  two  British  ships,  the  Phebe  and  Cherub,  - 
in  the  harbor  of  Valparaiso. 

Next  the  Essex  is  the  Carondelet,  then  the 
Cincinnati,  —  the  flag-ship,  with  the  brave  Com- 
modore on  board, — and  nearest  the  western  shore 
the  St.  Louis.  These  are  all  iron-plated  at  the 
bows.  Astern  is  the  Lexington,  the  C  ones  toga, 
and  the  Tyler. 

The  boats  reach  the  head  of  the  island,  and 
the  fort  is  hi  full  view.  It  is  thirty-four  minutes 
past  twelve  o'clock.  There  is  a  flash,  and  a  great 
creamy  cloud  of  smoke  at  the  bow  of  the  Gincin 
nati.  An  eight-inch  shell  screams  through  the 


THE   CAPTURE   OF  FORT   HENRY.  81 

fort  Henry. 

air.    The  gunners  watch  its  course.     Their  prac- 
tised eyes  follow  its  almost  viewless  flight    Your 


82  THE  CAPTTTOE   OF   FORT  KENBY. 

The  ?ort  replies. 

watch  ticks  fifteen  seconds  before  you  hear  from 
it.  You  see  a  puff  of  smoke,  a  cloud  of  sand 
thrown  up  in  the  fort,  and  then  hear  the  ex- 
plosion. The  commanders  of  the  other  boats 
remember  the  instructions,  —  "  Do  just  as  I  do ! " 
—  and  from  each  vessel  a  shell  is  thrown.  All  fall 
within  the  fort,  or  in  the  encampment  beyond, 
which  is  in  sight.  You  can  see  the  tents,  the 
log-huts,  the  tall  flagstaff.  The  fort  accepts  the 
challenge,  and  instantly  the  twelve  guns  which 
are  in  position  to  sweep  the  river  open  upon  the 
advancing  boats.  The  shot  and  shell  plough  fur- 
rows in  the  stream,  and  tlirow  columns  of  water 
high  in  air. 

Another  round  from  the  fleet.  Another  from 
the  fort.  The  air  is  calm,  and  the  thunder  of  the 
cannonade  rolls  along  the  valley,  reverberating 
from  hill  to  hill.  Louder  and  deeper  and  heavier 
is  the  booming,  till  it  becomes  almost  an  unbroken 
peal. 

There  is  a  commotion  in  the  Rebel  encamp- 
ment. Men  run  to  and  fro.  They  curl  down 
behind  the  stumps  and  the  fallen  trees,  to  avoid 
the  shot.  Their  huts  are  blown  to  pieces  by  the 
shells.  You  see  the  logs  tossed  like  straws  into 
the  air.  Their  tents  are  torn  into  paper-rags. 
The  hissing  shells  sink  deep  into  the  earth,  and 
then  there  are  sudden  upheavals  of  sand,  with 
imoke  and  flames,  as  if  volcanoes  were  bursting 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  FOBT  HENKY.       88 

The  Kebel  Soldiers  Terror  stricken.  Effect  of  the  Shelli  in  the  fort. 

forth.  The  parapet  is  cut  through.  Sand-bags 
are  knocked  about.  The  air  is  full  of  strange, 
hideous,  mysterious,  terrifying  noises. 

There  are  seven  or  eight  thousand  Rebel  sol- 
diers in  the  rifle-pits  and  behind  the  breastworks 
of  the  encampment  in  line  of  battle.  They  are 
terror-stricken.  Officers  and  men  alike  lose  all 
self-control.  They  run  to  escape  the  fearful 
storm.  They  leave  arms,  ammunition,  tents, 
blankets,  trunks,  clothes,  books,  letters,  papers, 
pictures,  —  everything.  They  pour  out  of  the 
intrenchments  into  the  road  leading  to  Dover,  a 
motley  rabble.  A  small  steamboat  lies  hi  the 
creek  above  the  fort.  Some  rush  on  board  and 
steam  up  river  with  the  utmost  speed.  Others,  in 
their  haste  and  fear,  plunge  into  the  creek  and 
sink  to  rise  no  more.  All  fly  except  a  brave  little 
band  in  the  fort. 

The  gunboats  move  straight  on,  slowly  and 
steadily.  Their  fire  is  regular  and  deliberate. 
Every  shot  goes  into  the  fort.  The  gunners  are 
blinded  and  smothered  by  clouds  of  sand.  The 
gun-carriages  are  crushed,  splintered,  and  over- 
turned. Men  are  cut  to  pieces.  Something  un- 
seen tears  them  like  a  thunderbolt.  The  fort  is 
full  of  explosions.  The  heavy  rifled  gun  bursts, 
crushing  and  killing  those  who  serve  it.  The 
flagstaff  is  splintered  and  torn,  a?  ^y  inteusest 
lightning. 


84  THE   CAPTURE   OF   FORT   HENBY. 

Kffect  of  the  Ball*  on  the  Boite.     the  B»ei       The  Bebeta  take  Courag 

Yet  the  fort  replies.  The  gunners  have  the 
range  of  the  boats,  and  nearly  every  shot  strikes 
the  iron  plating.  They  are  like  the  strokes  of 
sledge-hammers,  indenting  the  sheets,  starting  the 
fastenings,  breaking  the  tough  bolts.  The  Cincin- 
nati receives  thirty-one  shots,  the  Essex  fifteen,  the 
St.  Louis  seven,  and  the  Carondelet  six. 

Though  struck  so  often,  they  move  on.  The 
distance  lessens.  Another  gun  is  knocked  from 
its  carriage  in  the  fort,  —  another,  —  another. 
There  are  signs  that  the  contest  is  about  over, 
that  the  Rebels  are  ready  to  surrender.  But  a 
shot  strikes  the  Essex  between  the  iron  plates. 
It  tears  through  the  oaken  timbers  and  into  one 
of  the  steam-boilers.  There  is  a  great  puff  of 
steam.  It  pours  from  the  portholes,  and  the 
boat  is  enveloped  in  a  cloud.  She  drops  out  of 
the  line  of  battle.  Her  engines  stop  and  she 
floats  with  the  stream.  Twenty-eight  of  her  crew 
are  scalded,  among  them  her  brave  commander. 

The  Rebels  take  courage.  They  spring  to 
their  guns,  and  fire  rapidly  and  wildly,  hoping 
and  expecting  to  disable  the  rest  of  the 
fleet.  But  the  Commodore  does  not  falter ;  he 
keeps  straight  on  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
An  eighty-pound  shell  from  the  Cincinnati  dis- 
mounts a  gun,  killing  or  wounding  every  gun- 
ner. The  boats  are  so  near  that  every  shot  ia 
sure  to  do  its  work.  The  fire  of  the  boats  in- 


THE   CAPTURE   OF   FORT   HENRY  85 

She  BomiMtor.  Commodore  Foote  and  General  Tilghm»n" 

creases  while  the  fire  of  the  fort  diminishes. 
Coolness,  determination,  energy,  perseverance, 
and  power  win  the  day.  The  Rebel  flag  comes 
down,  and  the  white  flag  goes  up.  They  surren- 
der. Cheers  ring  through  the  fleet.  A  boat 
puts  out  from  the  St.  Louis.  An  officer  jumps 
ashore,  climbs  the  torn  embankment,  stands  upon 
the  parapet  and  waves  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 
"  Hurrah  !  hurrah !  hurrah  !  "  You  hear  it 
echoing  from  shore  to  shore. 

General  Lloyd  Tilghman  commanded  in  the 
fort.  He  went  on  board  the  flag-ship. 

"  What  terms  do  you  grant  me  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Your  surrender  must  be  unconditional,  sir. 
I  can  grant  you  no  other  terms." 

"  Well,  sir,  if  I  must  surrender,  it  gives  me 
pleasure  to  surrender  to  so  brave  an  officer  as 
you." 

"  You  do  perfectly  right  to  surrender,  sir  ;  but 
I  should  not  have  done  it  on  any  condition." 

"  Why  so  ?    I  do  not  understand  you." 

"  Because  I  was  fully  determined  to  capture 
the  fort  or  go  to  the  bottom." 

"  I  thought  I  had  you,  Commodore,  but  you 
were  too  much  for  me." 

"  How  could  you  fight  against  the  old  flag, 
General  ?  " 

"  Well,  it  did  come  hard  at  first ;  but  if  the 
North  had  only  let  us  alone,  there  would  have 


86        THE  CAPTURE  OF  FORT  HENRY. 

The  Line  of  Defence  Droien.  The  Troop*. 

been  no  trouble.  They  would  not  abide  by  the 
Constitution." 

"You  are  mistaken,  General,  and  the  whole 
South  is  mistaken.  The  North  have  always 
been  willing  that  the  South  should  have  all  her 
rights,  under  the  Constitution.  The  South  be- 
gan the  war,  and  she  will  be  responsible  for  the 
blood  which  has  been  shed  to-day." 

Thus,  in  an  hour  and  twelve  minutes,  the  fort 
which  the  Rebels  confidently  expected  would  pre- 
vent the  gunboats  from  ascending  the  river  was 
forced  to  surrender,  and  there  was  unobstructed 
water  communication  to  the  very  heart  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy.  Their  line  of  defence 
was  broken. 

There  was  but  little  loss  of  life  in  this  engage- 
ment, —  twenty  to  thirty  killed  and  wounded  on 
each  side.  If  the  Rebel  army  had  not  fled  almost 
at  the  first  fire,  there  would  have  been  terrible 
slaughter.  When  Commodore  Foote  was  in- 
formed that  there  were  several  thousand  troops 
in  the  fortifications,  said  he,  "  I  am  sorry  for  it, 
because  if  they  stand  their  ground  there  will  be 
groat  destruction  of  life  from  the  heavy  shells; 
for  I  shall  take  the  fort  or  sink  with  the  ships." 

If  the  troops  under  General  Grant  had  been  in 
position  to  have  intercepted  the  Rebel  force,  the 
whole  panic-stricken  crowd  would  have  been  cap- 
tured, but  being  delayed  by  the  mud,  the  fleet- 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  FORT  HENRY        87 


The  Return  to  Cairo.  Commodore  Foot*  at  Church. 

footed  Rebels  were  far  on  their  way  towards  Fort 
Donelson  when  General  Grant  reached  the  rear 
of  the  intrenchments.  In  their  haste  and  terror 
the  Rebels  abandoned  nine  pieces  of  field  artillery 
on  the  road,  and  a  large  supply  of  ammunition. 

The  battle  was  fought  on  Thursday.  On  Friday 
Commodore  Foote  returned  to  Cairo,  to  send  his 
despatches  to  Washington,  also  to  repair  his  gun 
boats  and  to  see  that  the  poor  scalded  men  on  the 
Essex  were  well  taken  care  of. 

I  was  writing,  at  Cairo,  the  account  of  the  battle. 
It  was  past  midnight  when  the  Commodore  came 
to  my  room.  He  sat  down,  and  told  me  what  I 
have  written  of  his  plan  of  the  battle,  and  his  talk 
with  General  Tilghman.  He  could  not  sit  still. 
He  was  weary  and  exhausted  with  his  labors. 
"  I  am  afraid,  Commodore,  that  you  have  over- 
worked. You  must  have  rest  and  sleep,"  I  re 
marked. 

"  Yes,  I  have  been  obliged  to  work  pretty  hard, 
and  need  rest,  but  I  never  slept  better  in  my  life 
than  night  before  last,  and  I  never  prayed  more 
fervently  than  on  yesterday  morning  before  going 
into  the  battle  ;  but  I  could  n't  sleep  last  night 
for  thinking  of  those  poor  fellows  on  board  the 
Essex,"  was  the  reply. 

On  Sunday  morning  he  was  at  church  as  usual. 
The  minister  was  late.  The  people  thought  there 
would  be  no  meeting,  and  were  about  to  leave 


88       THJ  CAPTURE  OF  FOBT  HENRY 


Credit  due  him. 


the  house.  Commodore  Foote  went  to  one  of 
the  Elders  of  the  church,  and  urged  him  to  con- 
duct the  worship.  The  Elder  declined.  But 
the  Commodore  never  let  slip  an  opportunity  for 
doing  good.  He  was  always  ready  to  serve  his 
country  and  his  God.  He  went  into  the  pulpit, 
read  a  chapter,  offered  a  prayer,  and  preached  a 
short  sermon  from  the  words,  — "  Let  not  your 
hearts  be  troubled.  Ye  believe  in  God;  believe 
also  in  me."  It  was  an  exhortation  for  all  men 
to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Saviour 
of  the  world.  Some  who  heard  him,  as  they  went 
home  from  church,  said  that  they  also  believed  in 
Commodore  Foote  ! 

To  him  belongs  the  credit  not  only  of  taking 
Fort  Henry,  but  of  planning  the  expedition. 
When  the  true  history  of  this  Rebellion  is  writ- 
ten, you  will  see  how  important  a  thing  it  was, 
how  great  its  results,  and  you  will  admire  more 
and  more  the  sterling  patriotism  and  unswerving 
Christian  principles  of  a  man  who  struck  this  first 
great  blow,  and  did  so  much  towards  crushing  the 
Rebellion. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THB    CAPTURE   OP    FORT    DONEI4ON. 

~ General  Pnmt'g  PUn.  "" 

/GENERAL  GRANTS  plan  for  taking  Fort 
V_J  Donelsou  was,  to  move  the  first  and  second 
divisions  of  his  army  across  the  country,  and 
attack  the  fort  in  the  rear,  while  another  division, 
accompanied  by  the  gunboats,  should  go  up  the 
Cumberland  and  attack  the  fort  from  that  direc- 
tion. Commodore  Foote  informed  the  General  that 
it  was  necessary  to  repair  the  gunboats  which  had 
been  injured  before  commencing  operations ;  but 
General  Grant  determined  to  make  no  delay  on 
that  account.  Without  fully  perfecting  his  ar- 
rangements, or  calculating  the  time  needed  for 
the  steamboats  to  go  from  Fort  Henry  down  to 
the  Ohio  and  up  the  Cumberland,  he  ordered  the 
two  divisions  to  march.  General  Lewis  Wallace 
was  left  at  Fort  Henry  with  a  brigade,  while  six 
regiments  of  his  division,  the  third,  were  em- 
barked on  the  steamboats,  which  sailed  down  the 
Tennessee  in  fine  style,  turning  back  other  boats, 
and  all  proceeded  up  the  Cumberland. 
There  are  steep  hills,  sandy  plains,  deep  ravine*, 


90      THE  CAPTUBE  OF  FORT  DONELSON. 

The  Country.  The  Taraen.  The  Birooac. 

trickling  brooks,  and  grand  old  forest-trees  be- 
tween Fort  Henry  and  Fort  Donelson.  The  road 
winds  along  the  hillsides,  over  the  plains,  and 
descends  into  the  ravines.  There  are  but  few 
farm-houses,  for  the  soil  is  unproductive  and  the 
forests  remain  almost  as  they  have  been  for  hun- 
dreds of  years.  The  few  farmers  who  reside 
there  live  mainly  on  hog  and  hominy.  They 
cultivate  a  few  acres  of  corn,  but  keep  a  great 
many  pigs,  which  live  in  the  woods  and  fatten 
apoii  acorns  and  hickory-nuts. 

The  regiments  which  marched  to  Fort  Donelson 
bivouacked  the  first  night  beside  a  stream  of  water 
about  four  miles  from  Fort  Henry.  They  had  no 
tents.  They  had  been  in  barracks  at  Cairo  through 
December  and  January,  but  now  they  must  lie 
upon  the  ground,  wrapped  in  their  blankets.  The 
nights  were  cold,  and  the  ground  was  frozen.  They 
cut  down  the  tall  trees  and  kindled  great  fires, 
which  roared  and  crackled  in  the  frosty  air.  They 
scraped  the  dead  leaves  into  heaps  and  made 
them  beds.  They  saw  the  pigs  in  the  woods. 
Crack !  crack  !  went  their  rifles,  and  they  had 
roast  sparerib  and  pork-steaks,  —  delicious  eating 
to  hungry  men.  The  forest  was  all  aglow  with 
the  hundreds  of  fires.  The  men  told  stories, 
toasted  their  toes,  looked  into  the  glowing  coals, 
thought  perhaps  of  homo,  of  the  dear  ones  there, 
then  wrapped  their  blankets  about  them  and  went 


THE  CAPTUBE  OF  FORT  DONELSON.      91 

The  PickeU.  The  Troop*  in  General  Grant's  Army  .^ 

to  sleep.  Out  towards  Fort  Donelson  the  pickets 
stood  at  their  posts  and  looked  into  the  darkness, 
watching  for  the  enemy  through  the  long  winter 
night.  But  no  Rebels  appeared.  They  had  been 
badly  frightened  at  Fort  Henry.  They  had  re- 
covered from  their  terror,  however,  and  had 
determined  to  make  a  brave  stand  at  Fort  Don- 
elson. They  had  been  reinforced  by  a  large  body 
of  troops  from  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston's 
army  at  Bowling  Green,  in  Kentucky,  and  from 
General  Lee's  army  in  Virginia. 

General  Grant's  two  divisions,  which  marched 
across  the  country,  numbered  about  fifteen  thou- 
sand. There  were  four  brigades  in  the  first  divis- 
ion, —  Colonel  Oglesby's,  Colonel  W.  H.  L.  Wal- 
lace's, Colonel  McArthur's,  and  Colonel  Morri- 
son's. Colonel  Oglesby  had  the  Eighth,  Eigh- 
teenth, Twenty-ninth,  Thirtieth,  and  Thirty-first 
Illinois  regiments.  Colonel  Wallace's  was  com- 
posed of  the  Eleventh,  Twentieth,  Forty-fifth,  and 
Forty-eighth  Illinois  regiments.  In  Colonel 
McArthur's  were  the  Second,  Ninth,  Twelfth, 
and  Forty-first  Illinois,  and  in  Colonel  Morrison's 
the  Seventeenth  and  Forty-ninth  Illinois  regi- 
ments. 

Schwartz's,  Taylor's,  Dresser's,  and  McAllister's 
batteries  accompanied  this  division. 

There  were  three  brigades  in  the  second  di- 
vision. The  first,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 


92      THE  GAPTUBE  OF  FORT  DONELSON. 
The  8h*rp«hooton. 

Cook,  was  composed  of  the  Seventh  Illinois, 
Twelfth  Iowa,  Thirteenth  Missouri,  and  Fifty- 
second  Indiana. 

Colonel  Lauman  commanded  the  second  brig- 
ade, composed  of  the  Second,  Seventh,  Fourteenth, 
and  Twenty-eighth  Iowa  regiments,  the  Fifty-sec- 
ond Indiana,  and  Colonel  Birges's  regiment  of 
sharpshooters. 

The  third  brigade,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Morgan  L.  Smith,  was  composed  of  the  Eighth 
Missouri  and  Eleventh  Indiana. 

Major  Cavender's  regiment  of  Missouri  artil- 
lery was  attached  to  this  division,  composed  of 
three  full  batteries,  —  Captain  Richardson's,  Cap- 
tain Stone's,  and  Captain  Walker's. 

The  Fourth  Illinois  cavalry  and  three  or  four 
companies  of  cavalry  were  distributed  among  the 
brigades. 

Colonel  Birges's  sharpshooters  were  picked  men, 
who  had  killed  many  bears,  deer,  and  wolves  in 
the  Western  woods.  They  could  take  unerring 
aim,  and  bring  down  a  squirrel  from  the  top  of 
the  highest  trees.  They  wore  gray  uniforms  of 
felt,  with  close-fitting  skull-caps,  and  buffalo-skin 
knapsacks,  and  a  powder-horn.  They  were  swift 
runners.  Each  man  carried  a  whistle.  They  had 
signal-calls  for  advancing,  or  retreating,  or  moving 
to  the  right  or  the  left.  They  glided  through  the 
forests  like  fleet-footed  deer,  or  crept  aa  stealthily 


THE  CAPTTO7,  OF  FOKT  DONELSON.      93 


as  an  Indian  along  the  ravines  and  through  the 
thickets.  They  were  tough,  hearty,  daring,  cour- 
ageous men.  They  thought  it  no  great  hardship 
to  march  all  day,  and  lie  down  beside  a  log  at 
night  without  supper.  They  wanted  no  better 
fun  than  to  creep  through  the  underbrush  and 
pick  off  the  Rebels,  whirling  in  an  instant  upon 
their  backs  after  firing  a  shot,  to  reload  their 
rifles.  Although  attached  to  Lauman's  brigade, 
they  were  expected  in  battle  to  go  where  they 
could  do  the  most  service. 

As  you  go  up  the  Cumberland  River,  and  ap 
proach  the  town  of  Dover,  you  see  a  high  hill  om 
the  west  bank.  It  is  crowned  with  an  embank- 
ment of  earth,  which  runs  all  round  the  top  witk 
many  angles.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  are  tw» 
other  embankments,  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  above 
the  water.  There  are  seventeen  heavy  guns  im 
these  works.  Two  of  them  throw  long  bolts  of 
iron,  weighing  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
pounds,  but  most  of  the  guns  are  thirty-two- 
pounders. 

If  you  go  into  the  batteries  and  into  the  fort, 
and  run  your  eye  along  the  guns,  you  will  see 
that  all  of  them  can  be  aimed  at  a  gunboat  in  the 
river.  They  all  point  straight  down  stream,  and 
a  concentrated  fire  can  be  poured  upon  a  single 
boat.  The  river  makes  a  bend  as  it  approaches 
the  batteries,  so  that  the  boats  will  be  exposed  OB 
their  bows  and  rides 


94  THE   CAPTUBE   OF  FORT  DONELSON. 

The  Keld-Worki. 

A  mile  above  the  fort  you  see  the  little  village 
of  Dover.  Beyond  the  village  a  creek  comes  in. 
It  is  high  water,  and  the  creek  is  too  deep  to  be 
forded. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  hill,  beyond  the  fort, 
between  the  fort  and  the  village,  are  log-huts, 
where  the  Rebel  troops  have  been  encamped 
through  the  winter.  A  stream  of  clear  running 
water  comes  down  from  the  hills  west  of  the 
village,  where  you  may  fill  your  canteen. 

Going  up  the  hill  into  the  fort,  and  out  to  its 
northwest  angle,  you  see  that  the  fortifications 
which  the  Rebels  have  thrown  up  consist  of  three 
distinct  parts,  —  the  fort  and  the  water-batteries, 
a  line  of  breastworks  west  of  the  village,  called 
field-works,  and  a  line  of  rifle-pits  outside  of  the 
field-works.  You  begin  at  the  northwest  angle 
of  the  fort,  face  to  the  southwest,  and  walk  along 
the  field-work  which  is  on  the  top  of  a  sharp  ridge. 
The  embankment  is  about  four  feet  high.  There 
are  a  great  many  angles,  with  embrasures  for  can- 
non. You  look  west  from  these  embrasures,  and 
see  that  the  ground  is  much  broken.  There  are 
hills  and  hollows,  thick  brush  and  tall  trees.  In 
some  places  the  trees  have  been  cut  down  to  form 
an  abatis,  an  obstruction,  the  limbs  lopped  off  and 
interlocked. 

As  you  walk  on,  you  come  to  the  Fort  Henry 
and  Dover  road-  Crossing  thai,  instead  of  walk 


THE  CAPTURE   OF  FORT   DONELSON. 


95 


Fort  Donelion. 


ing  southwest,  you  make  a  gradual  turn  towards 
the  southeast,  and  come  to  another  road,  which 


FOBT  DONELSON. 


1  Th»fort. 
1  field-works. 
8  3  Rifle-pita. 
4  Town  of  Dover. 
6  Log-huts. 
8  Water-batteries. 


7  General  McClernand's  division. 

8  General  Lewis  Wallace's  division. 

9  General  Smith's  division. 

10  General  Grant's  Headquarters. 

11  Gunboats. 

12  Light  Creek. 


leads  from  Dover  southwest  towards  Clarksville 
and  Nashville.  Crossing  that,  you  come  to  the 
creek  which  empties  into  the  Cumberland  just 


96  THE   CAPTURE   OF   FORT  DONEL80N. 


The  Rtfle-PlU. 


abore  the  town.  The  distance  from  the  creek 
back  to  the  fort,  along  the  line  of  breastworks, 
is  nearly  two  miles.  Going  back  once  more  to 
the  northwest  angle  of  the  fort,  you  see  that  the 
slope  of  the  hill  is  very  steep  outside  the  works. 
You  go  down  the  slope,  planting  your  feet  into 
the  earth  to  keep  from  tumbling  headlong.  When 
you  reach  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  you  do  not 
find  a  level  piece  of  ground,  but  ascend  another 
ridge.  It  is  not  as  high  as  the  ridge  along  which 
you  have  travelled  to  take  a  view  of  the  works. 
The  slope  of  this  outer  ridge  runs  down  to  a 
meadow.  The  Rebels  have  cut  down  the  tall 
trees,  and  made  a  line  of  rifle-pits.  The  logs 
are  piled  one  above  another,  as  the  backwoods- 
man builds  a  log-fence.  There  is  a  space  five 
or  six  inches  wide  between  the  upper  log  and 
the  one  below  it.  They  have  dug  a  trench  be- 
hind, and  the  dirt  is  thrown  outside. 

The  Rebel  riflemen  can  lie  in  the  trench,  and 
fire  through  the  space  between  the  logs  upon  the 
Union  troops  if  they  attempt  to  advance  upon  the 
works.  You  look  down  this  outer  slope.  It  is 
twenty  rods  to  the  bottom,  and  it  is  covered  with 
fallen  trees.  You  think  it  almost  impossible  to 
climb  over  such  a  hedge  and  such  obstructions. 
You  see  a  cleared  field  at  the  base  of  the  hill, 
and  a  farm-house  beyond  the  field,  on  the  Fort 
Henry  road,  which  is  General  Grant's  head 


THE   CAPTUBK   OF  FOBT   DONELSON.  97 

Oeoenl  Grant'*  Head-quarter*.         General  Jloyd          The  Bebel  Army. 

quarters.  The  whole  country  is  broken  into  hills, 
knolls,  and  ridges.  It  reminds  you  of  the  waves 
you  have  seen  on  the  ocean  or  on  the  lakes  in 
a  storm. 

General  Floyd,  who  was  Secretary  of  War  under 
Buchanan,  and  who  stole  all  the  public  property 
he  could  lay  his  hands  on  while  in  office,  com- 
manded the  Rebel  forces.  He  arrived  on  the  13th. 
General  Pillow  and  Brigadier-General  Johnson 
were  placed  in  command  of  the  troops  on  the 
Rebel  left  wing  west  of  the  town.  General 
Buckner  commanded  those  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
fort.  General  Floyd  had  the  Third,  Tenth,  Eigh 
teenth,  Twenty-sixth,  Thirtieth,  Thirty-second, 
Forty-first,  Forty-second,  Forty-eighth,  Forty- 
ninth,  Fiftieth,  Fifty-first,  and  Fifty-third  regi- 
ments of  Tennessee  troops,  the  Second  and  Eighth 
Kentucky,  the  First,  Third,  Fourth,  Fourteenth, 
Twentieth,  and  Twenty-sixth  Mississippi  regi- 
ments, the  Seventh  Texas,  Fifteenth  and  Twenty- 
seventh  Alabama,  the  Thirty-sixth,  Fiftieth,  Fifty 
first,  and  Fifty-sixth  Virginia,  also  two  battalions 
of  Tennessee  infantry,  and  a  brigade  of  cavalry. 
He  had  Murray's,  dorter's,  Graves's,  Maney's, 
Jackson's,  Guy's,  Ross's,  and  Green's  batteries,  in 
all  about  twenty-three  thousand  men,  with  forty- 
eight  pieces  of  field  artillery,  and  seventeen  heavy 
guns  in  the  fort  and  water-batteries. 

General  Grant  knew  but  little  of  the  ground,  or 
i  • 


98  THE   CAPTURE   OF   FORT  DONELSON. 

The  Troops  march  towarfrthe  Fort.  The  Morning . 

the  fortifications,  or  of  the  Rebel  forces,  but  ha 
pushed  boldly  on. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  the  troops  left  their 
bivouac,  where  they  had  enjoyed  their  roast  spare- 
ribs  and  steaks,  and  marched  towards  the  fort. 
The  cavalry  swept  the  country,  riding  through 
the  side  roads  and  foot-paths,  reconnoitring  the 
ground,  and  searching  for  Rebel  pickets. 

Soon  after  noon  they  came  in  sight  of  the  Rebel 
encampments.  The  ground  was  thoroughly  ex- 
amined. No  Rebels  were  found  outside  the  works, 
but  upon  the  hills  within  the  intrenchments  dark 
masses  of  men  could  be  seen,  some  busily  at  work 
with  axes  and  shovels.  Regiments  were  taking 
positions  for  the  expected  attack ;  but  it  was 
already  evening,  and  the  advancing  army  rested 
for  the  night. 

THURSDAY. 

The  night  had  been  cold,  but  on  the  morning 
of  the  13th  there  were  breezes  from  the  south- 
west, so  mild  and  warm  that  the  spring  birds 
came.  The  soldiers  thought  that  the  winter  was 
over.  The  sky  was  cloudless.  All  the  signs 
promised  a  pleasant  day.  The  troops  were  early 
awake,  —  replenishing  the  fading  fires,  and  cook- 
ing breakfasts.  With  the  dawn  the  sharpshooters 
and  pickets  began  their  work.  There  was  a  rat 
tling  musket-fire  in  the  ravines. 


THE   CAPTUBE   OF  FOET   DONELSON.  99 

The  Batteries  begin  to  fin.  General  MoClernand's  Adrance. 

Before  the  sun  rose  the  Rebel  batteries  began 
throwing  shells  across  the  ravines  and  hills,  aim- 
ing at  the  camp-fires  of  Colonel  Oglesby's  brigade. 
Instantly  the  camp  was  astir.  The  men  fell  into 
line  with  a  hurrah,  the  cannoneers  sprang  to  their 
guns,  all  waiting  for  the  orders. 

The  clear,  running  brook  which  empties  into 
the  Cumberland  between  Dover  and  Fort  Donel- 
son  winds  through  a  wide  valley.  It  divides  the 
Rebel  field-works  into  two  parts,  —  those  west  of 
the  town  and  those  west  of  the  fort.  The  road 
from  Fort  Henry  to  Dover  crosses  the  valley  in  a 
southeast  direction.  As  you  go  towards  the  town, 
you  see  at  your  left  hand,  on  the  hill,  through  the 
branches  of  the  trees,  the  Rebel  breastworks,  and 
you  are  almost  within  musket-shot. 

General  McClernand  moved  his  division  down 
the  Dover  road,  while  General  Smith  remained 
opposite  the  northwest  angle  of  the  fort.  Ogles- 
by's brigade  had  the  advance,  followed  by  nearly 
all  of  the  division.  The  batteries  moved  along 
the  road,  but  the  troops  marched  through  the 
woods  west  of  the  road.  The  artillery  came  into 
position  on  the  hills  about  a  half-mile  from  the 
breastworks,  and  opened  fire,  —  Taylor,  Schwartz, 
and  Dresser  west  of  the  town,  and  Cavender,  with 
his  heavy  guns,  west  of  the  fort. 

The  Rebel  batteries  began  a  furious  fire.  Their 
shells  were  excellently  aimed.  One  struck  almost 


100            THE  CAPTUBE   OF  FORT  DONELSON. 
lUJor  C>TeDder-t  Qua*. Colonel  WtUao*  nufret  *a 

at  the  feet  of  Major  Cavender  as  he  was  sighting  a 
gun,  but  it  did  not  disturb  him.  He  took  delib- 
erate aim,  and  sent  shell  after  shell  whizzing  into 
the  fort.  Another  shot  fell  just  in  rear  of  his 
battery.  A  third  burst  overhead.  Another  struck 
one  of  Captain  Richardson's  men  in  the  breast, 
whirling  him  into  the  air,  killing  him  instantly. 

Major  Cavender  moved  his  pieces,  and  then 
returned  the  fire  with  greater  zeal.  Through  the 
forenoon  the  forests  echoed  the  terrific  cannonade, 
mingled  with  the  sharp  crack  of  the  riflemen, 
close  under  the  breastworks. 

At  noon  the  infantry  fight  began.  West  of  the 
town,  in  addition  to  the  line  of  rifle-pits  and 
breastworks,  the  Rebels  had  thrown  up  a  small 
redoubt,  behind  which  their  batteries  were  se- 
curely posted.  General  McClernand  decided  to 
attack  it.  He  ordered  Colonel  Wallace  to  direct 
the  assault.  The  Forty-eighth,  Seventeenth,  and 
Forty-ninth  Illinois  regiments  were  detached  from 
the  main  force,  and  placed  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Hayne,  of  the  Forty-eighth,  for  a 
storming  party.  McAllister's  battery  was  wheeled 
into  position  to  cover  the  attack. 

They  form  in  line  at  the  base  of  the  hill. 
The  shells  from  the  Rebel  batteries  crash  among 
the  trees.  The  Rebel  riflemen  keep  up  a  rattling 
fire  from  the  thickets.  The  Loops  are  fresh  from 
the  prairies.  This  is  their  first  battle,  but  at  the 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  FORT  DONELSON.     101 


How  U»  Troop.  tdTtnoe.  They  *rt>  withdrawn.   Haw  the  BJuquhooten  fought 

word  of  command  they  advance  across  the  inter- 
vening hollows  and  ascend  the  height,  facing  the 
sheets  of  flame  which  burst  from  the  Rebel  works. 
They  fire  as  they  advance.  It  is  not  a  rush  and  & 
hurrah,  but  a  steady  movement.  Men  begin  to 
drop  from  the  line,  but  there  is  no  wavering. 
They  who  never  before  heard  the  sounds  of  battle 
stand  like  veterans.  The  Rebel  line  in  front  of 
them  extends  farther  than  their  own.  The  Forty- 
fifth  Illinois  goes  to  the  support  of  Wallace.  The 
Rebels  throw  forward  reinforcements.  There  is 
a  continuous  roll  of  musketry,  and  quick  dis- 
charges of  cannon.  The  attacking  force  advances 
nearer  and  still  nearer,  close  up  to  the  works. 
Their  gallantry  does  not  fail  them  ;  their  courage 
does  not  falter  ;  but  they  find  an  impassable 
obstruction,  —  fallen  trees,  piles  of  brush,  and 
rows  of  sharp  stakes.  Taylor's  battery  gallops 
up  the  road,  and  opens  a  rapid  fire,  but  the 
Rebel  sharpshooters  pick  off  his  gunners.  It  is 
madness  to  remain,  and  the  force  retires  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  Rebel  musketry  ;  but  they  are  not 
disheartened.  They  have  hardly  begun  to  fight. 
Colonel  Birges's  sharpshooters  are  sent  for. 
They  move  down  through  the  bushes,  and  creep 
up  in  front  of  the  Rebel  lines.  There  are  jets  of 
flame  and  wreaths  of  blue  smoke  from  their  rifles. 
The  Rebel  pickets  are  driven  back.  The  sharp- 
shooters work  their  way  still  nearer  to  the  trenches. 


102  THE  CAPTURE   OF  FORT  DONELSON 

Talk  between  the  Sklrmfchers! Reinforcemen 

The  bushes  blaze.  There  are  mysterious  puffs  of 
smoke  from  the  hollows,  from  stumps,  and  from 
the  roots  of  trees.  The  Rebel  gunners  are  com- 
pelled to  let  their  guns  remain  silent,  and  the 
infantry  dare  not  show  their  heads  above  the 
breastworks.  They  lie  close.  A  Rebel  soldier 
raises  his  slouched  hat  on  his  ramrod.  Birges's 
men  see  it,  just  over  the  parapet.  Whiz  !  The 
hat  disappears.  The  Rebels  chuckle  that  they 
have  outwitted  the  Yankee. 

"  Why  don't  you  come  out  of  your  old  fort  ?  " 
shouts  a  sharpshooter,  lying  close  behind  a  tree. 

"  Why  don't  you  come  in  ?  "  is  the  answer 
from  the  breastworks. 

"  0,  you  are  cowards  !  "  says  the  voice  at  the 
etump. 

"  When  are  you  going  to  take  the  fort  ?  "  is  the 
response  from  the  breastwork. 

The  cannonade  lasted  till  night.  Nothing  had 
been  gained,  but  much  had  been  lost,  by  the 
Union  army.  There  were  scores  of  men  lying  in 
the  thickets,  where  they  had  fallen.  There  were 
hundreds  in  the  hospitals.  The  gunboats  and 
the  expected  reinforcements  had  not  arrived. 
The  Rebels  outnumbered  General  Grant's  force 
by  several  thousand,  but  fortunately  they  did  not 
know  it.  General  Grant's  provisions  were  almost 
gone.  There  was  no  meat,  nothing  but  hard 
bread.  The  south-wind  of  the  morning  had 


THE   CAPTURE   OF   FORT  DONELSON.  103 

The  Btorm. ~~~~~~~  A  horrible  Night. 

changed  to  the  east.  It  was  mild  then,  but 
piercing  now.  The  sky,  so  golden  at  the  dawn, 
was  dark  and  lowering,  with  clouds  rolling 
ap  from  the  east.  The  rain  began  to  fall.  The 
roads  were  miry,  the  dead  leaves  slippery.  The 
men  had  thrown  aside  their  overcoats  and  blan- 
kets. They  had  no  shelter,  no  protection.  They 
were  weary  and  exhausted  with  the  contest. 
They  were  cold,  wet,  and  hungry.  The  rain 
increased.  The  wind  blew  more  furiously.  It 
wailed  through  the  forest.  The  rain  changed  to 
hail.  The  men  lay  down  upon  frozen  beds,  and 
were  covered  with  icy  sheets.  It  grew  colder. 
The  hail  became  snow.  The  wind  increased  to 
a  gale,  and  whirled  the  snow  into  drifts.  The 
soldiers  curled  down  behind  the  stumps  and 
fallen  trees.  They  built  great  fires.  They 
walked,  ran,  thumped  their  feet  upon  the  frozen 
ground,  beat  their  fingers  till  the  blood  seemed 
starting  from  beneath  the  nails.  The  thermome- 
ter sank  almost  to  zero.  It  was  a  night  of  hor- 
ror, not  only  outside,  but  inside  the  Rebel  lines. 
The  Southern  soldiers  were  kept  in  the  intrench- 
ments,  in  the  rifle-pits,  and  ditches,  to  be  in  read- 
iness to  repel  an  assault.  They  could  not  keep 
up  great,  roaring  fires,  for  fear  of  inviting  a  night 
attack.  Through  the  long  hours  the  soldiers  of 
both  armies  kept  their  positions,  exposed  to  the 
fury  of  the  winter  storm,  not  only  the  severest 


104  THE   CAPTUBE   OF  FORT   DONELSON. 

Oat  of  ProTtatoM.  A  critical  How.  What  General  Oglaby  Mid. 

itorm  of  the  season,  but  the  wildest  and  coldest 
that  had  been  known  for  many  years  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country. 

FRIDAY. 

Friday  morning  dawned,  and  with  the  first  rays 
of  light  the  rifles  cracked  in  the  frosty  air.  The 
sharpshooters,  though  they  had  passed  a  sleepless 
night,  were  in  their  places  behind  rocks  and 
stumps  and  trees.  Neither  army  was  ready  to 
recommence  the  struggle.  General  Grant  wa» 
out  of  provisions.  The  transports,  with  supplies 
and  reinforcements,  had  not  arrived.  Only  one 
gunboat,  the  Carondelet,  had  come. 

It  was  a  critical  hour.  What  if  the  Rebels,  with 
their  superior  force,  should  march  out  from  their 
intrenchments  and  make  an  attack  ?  How  long 
oould  the  half-frozen,  exhausted,  hungry  men 
maintain  their  ground?  Where  were  the  gun- 
boats ?  Where  the  transports  ?  Where  the  rein- 
forcements ?  There  were  no  dark  columns  of 
smoke  rising  above  the  forest-trees,  indicating  the 
approach  of  the  belated  fleet. 

General  Grant  grew  anxious.  Orders  were 
despatched  to  General  Wallace  at  Fort  Henry  to 
hasten  over  with  his  troops.  There  was  no 
thought  of  giving  up  the  enterprise. 

"  We  came  here  to  take  the  fort,  and  we  intend 
to  do  it,"  said  Colonel  Oglesby. 


THE   CAPTURE   OF   FORT   DONELSON.  106 

The  GuriboaU  arrlTe.    The  Troop*  forget  their  Bufferings.    Reinforcement.. 

A  courier  came  dashing  through  the  woods. 
He  had  been  on  the  watch  three  miles  down  the 
river,  looking  for  the  gunboats.  He  had  descried 
a  dense  cloud  of  black  smoke  in  the  distance,  and 
started  with  the  welcome  intelligence.  They 
were  coming.  The  Carondelet,  which  had  been 
lying  quietly  in  the  stream  below  the  fort,  steamed 
up  against  the  current,  and  tossed  a  shell  towards 
the  Rebels.  The  deep  boom  of  the  columbiad 
echoed  over  the  hills  of  Tennessee.  The  troop* 
answered  with  a  cheer  from  the  depths  of  the 
forest.  They  could  see  the  trailing  black  ban 
ners  of  smoke  from  the  steamer.  They  became 
light-hearted.  The  wounded  lying  in  the  hospi- 
tals, stiff,  sore,  mangled,  their  wounds  undressed, 
chilled,  frozen,  covered  with  ice  and  enow,  forgot 
their  sufferings.  So  the  fire  of  patriotism  burned 
within  their  hearts,  which  could  not  be  quenched 
by  sufferings  worse  than  death  itself. 

The  provisions,  troops,  and  artillery  were  landed 
at  a  farm,  three  miles  below  the  fort.  A  road 
was  cut  through  the  woods,  and  communication 
opened  with  the  army. 

A  division  was  organized  under  General  Lewis 
Wallace.  Colonel  Cruft  commanded  the  first 
brigade,  composed  of  the  Thirty-first  and  Forty- 
fourth  Indiana,  the  Seventeenth  and  Twenty-fifth 
Kentucky  regiments. 

The  second  brigade  was  composed  of  the  Forty 
M 


106  THE   CAPTUBE  OF  FORT   DONELSON, 

General  Wallace  has  the  Centra.  The  Gunboat*  prepare  for  Action. 

sixth,  Fifty-seventh,  and  Fifty-eighth  Illinois  regi- 
ments. It  had  no  brigade  commander,  and  was 
united  to  the  third  brigade,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Thayer.  The  third  brigade  was  com- 
posed of  the  First  Nebraska,  the  Sixteenth,  Fifty- 
eighth,  and  Sixty-eighth  Ohio  regiments.  Several 
other  regiments  arrived  while  the  fight  was  going 
on,  but  they  were  held  in  reserve,  and  had  but 
little  if  any  part  in  the  action. 

Wallace's  division  was  placed  between  General 
Smith's  and  General  McClernand's,  near  General 
Grant's  head-quarters,  on  the  road  leading  from 
Fort  Henry  to  Dover.  It  took  all  day  to  get  the 
troops  into  position  and  distribute  food  and  am- 
munition, and  there  was  no  fighting  except  by  the 
skirmishers  and  sharpshooters. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  gunboats 
steamed  slowly  up  stream  to  attack  the  water- 
batteries.  Commodore  Foote  repeated  the  in- 
structions to  the  commanders  and  crews  that  he 
made  before  the  attack  at  Fort  Henry,  —  to  fire 
slow,  take  deliberate  aim,  and  keep  cool. 

The  Pittsburg,  St.  Louis,  Louisville,  and  Car- 
ondelet,  iron-plated  boats,  had  the  advance,  fol- 
lowed by  the  three  wooden  boats,  —  the  Tyler, 
Lexington,  and  Conestoga.  A  bend  in  the  river 
exposed  the  sides  of  the  gunboats  to  a  raking  fire 
from  the  batteries,  while  Commodore  Foote  could 
only  use  the  bow  guns  in  reply.  The  fort  on  tlw 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  FOBT  DONELSON.     107 

Commodore  Foote's  Plan.  The  Attack  of  the  Gunboate. 

hill  was  so  high  above  the  boats  that  the  muzzles 
of  the  guns  could  not  be  elevated  far  enough  to 
hit  it.  Commodore  Foote  directed  the  boats  to 
engage  the  water-batteries,  and  pay  no  attention 
to  the  guns  of  the  fort  till  the  batteries  were 
silenced ;  then  he  would  steam  past  them  and 
pour  broadsides  into  the  fort. 

As  soon  as  the  gunboats  rounded  the  point  of 
land  a  mile  and  a  half  below  the  fort,  the  Rebels 
opened  fire,  and  the  boats  replied.  There  was 
excellent  gunnery.  The  shots  from  the  fort  and 
batteries  fell  upon  the  bows  of  the  boats,  or  raked 
their  sides ;  while  the  shells  from  the  boats  fell 
plump  into  the  batteries,  cutting  the  embankments, 
or  smking  deep  in  the  side  of  the  hill  and  bursting 
with  tremendous  explosions,  throwing  the  earth 
upon  the  gunners  in  the  trenches.  Steadily  on- 
ward moved  the  boats,  pouring  all  their  shells  into 
the  lower  works.  It  was  a  continuous  storm,  — 
an  unbroken  roll  of  thunder.  There  were  con- 
stant explosions  in  the  Rebel  trenches.  The  air 
was  filled  with  pieces  of  iron  from  the  exploding 
shells  and  lumps  of  frozen  earth  thrown  up  by 
the  solid  shot.  The  Rebels  fled  in  confusion  from 
the  four-gun  battery,  running  up  the  hill  to  the 
intrenchments  above. 

The  fight  had  lasted  an  hour,  and  the  boats 
were  within  five  hundred  feet  of  the  batteries; 
fifteen  minutes  more  and  the  Commodore  would 


108     THE  CAPTUBE  OF  FOBT  DONELSON. 

Ibe  Bebel  Onnnen  lee  their  AdranUge.          The  GunboattdSabled.  ~ 

be  abreast  of  them,  and  would  rake  them  from 
bottom  to  top  with  his  tremendous  broadsides. 
But  he  had  reached  the  bend  of  the  river ;  the 
eight-gun  battery  could  cut  him  through  cross* 
wise,  while  the  guns  on  the  top  of  the  hill  could 
pour  plunging  shots  upon  his  decks.  The  Rebels 
saw  their  advantage,  and  worked  their  guns  with 
all  their  might.  The  boats  were  so  near  that 
every  Rebel  shot  reached  its  mark.  A  solid  shot 
cut  the  rudder-chains  of  the  Carondelet  and  slie 
became  unmanageable.  The  thirty-two-pound 
balls  went  through  the  oak  sides  of  the  boats  aa 
you  can  throw  peas  through  wet  paper.  Another 
shot  splintered  the  helm  of  the  Pittsburg,  and 
that  boat  also  became  unmanageable.  A  third 
shot  crashed  through  the  pilot-house  of  the  St 
Louis,  killing  the  pilot  instantly.  The  Commo- 
dore stood  by  his  side,  and  was  sprinkled  with  the 
blood  of  the  brave,  unfortunate  man.  The  shot 
oroke  the  wheel  and  knocked  down  a  timber 
which  wounded  the  Commodore  in  the  foot.  He 
sprang  to  the  deck,  limped  to  another  steering 
apparatus,  and  endeavored  with  his  own  hands  to 
keep  the  vessel  head  to  the  stream ;  but  that  ap- 
paratus also  had  been  shot  away.  Sixty-one  shota 
had  struck  the  St.  Louis  ;  some  had  passed 
through  from  stem  to  stern.  The  Louisvilto 
had  received  thirty-five  shots.  Twenty-sij  had 
crashed  into  and  through  the  Carondetet.  On« 


THE  CAPTUBE  OF  FORT  DONELSON.    101 

The  Victory  almost  won.  What  Commodore  Foote  wrote. 

of  her  guns  had  burst,  killing  and  wounding  six. 
of  the  crew.  The  Pittsburg  had  been  struck 
twenty-one  times.  All  but  the  Louisville,  of  the 
iron-plated  boats,  were  unmanageable.  At  the 
very  last  moment — when  the  difficulties  had  been 
almost  overcome — the  Commodore  was  obliged  to 
hoist  the  signal  for  retiring.  Ten  minutes  more,— 
five  hundred  feet  more,  —  and  the  Rebel  trenches 
would  have  been  swept  from  right  to  left,  their 
entire  length.  When  the  boats  began  to  drift 
down  the  stream  they  were  running  from  the 
trenches,  deserting  their  guns,  to  escape  the  fear- 
ful storm  of  grape  and  canister  which  .they  knew 
would  soon  sweep  over  them.  Fifty  four  wer« 
Mlled  and  wounded  in  this  attack. 

At  night  Commodore  Foote  sat  in  the  cabin  of 
the  St.  Louis  and  wrote  a  letter  to  a  friend.  HM 
wound  was  painful,  but  he  thought  not  of  hii 
own  sufferings.  He  frequently  asked  how  the 
wounded  men  were  getting  along,  and  directed 
the  surgeons  to  do  everything  possible  for  their 
comfort.  This  is  what  he  wrote  to  his  friend :  — 

"  While  I  hope  ever  to  rely  on  Him  who  con- 
trols all  things,  and  to  say  from  my  heart,  *  Not 
unto  us,  but  unto  thee,  0  Lord,  belongs  the  glory,' 
yet  I  feel  bad  at  the  result  of  our  attack  on  Fort 
Donelson.  To  see  brave  officers  and  men,  who 
say  they  will  go  where  I  lead  them,  fall  by  my 
side,  it  makes  me  sad  to  lead  them  to  almost  car 
tain  death." 


110  THE   CAPTUBE   OF  FOBT  DONELSON. 

General  Floyd  hold*  a  Council  of  War. 

So  passed  Friday.  The  gunboats  were  disabled. 
No  impression  had  been  made  on  the  fort.  Gen- 
eral Grant  determined  to  place  his  army  in  posi- 
tion on  the  hills  surrounding  the  fort,  throw  up 
intrenchments,  and  wait  till  the  gunboats  could 
be  repaired.  Then  there  would  be  a  combined 
attack,  by  water  and  by  land,  which  he  hoped 
would  reduce  the  place. 

On  Friday  evening  there  was  a  council  of  war 
at  General  Floyd's  head-quarters  in  the  town. 
General  Buckner,  General  Johnson,  General  Pil- 
low, Colonel  Baldwin,  Colonel  Wharton,  and  other 
commanders  of  brigades  were  present.  General 
Moyd  said  that  he  was  satisfied  that  General  Grant 
would  not  renew  the  attack  till  the  gunboats  were 
repaired,  and  till  he  had  received  reinforcements. 
He  thought  that  the  whole  available  force  of  Union 
troops  would  be  hurried  up  by  steamboat  from 
St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  and  Cairo ;  and  that  when 
they  arrived  a  division  would  be  marched  up  the 
river  towards  Clarksville,  above  Dover,  and  that 
they  in  the  fort  would  be  starved  out  and  forced 
to  surrender  without  a  battle.  It  was  very  good 
and  correct  reasoning  on  the  part  of  General 
Floyd,  who  did  not  care  to  be  taken  prisoner  after 
he  had  stolen  so  much  public  property.  It  was 
just  what  General  Grant  intended  to  do.  He 
knew  that  by  such  a  course  the  fort  would  be 
obliged  to  surrender,  and  he  would  save  the  lives 
of  his  men. 


THE   OAPTUBE  OF  FORT  DONELSON.  Ill 

He  prepares  to  attack  General  Grant.  The  Plan. 

General  Floyd  proposed  to  attack  General 
Grant  at  daylight  on  Saturday  morning,  by  throw- 
ing one  half  of  the  Rebel  army,  under  Pillow  and 
Johnson,  upon  McClernand's  division.  By  making 
the  attack  then  in  overwhelming  force,  he  felt 
pretty  sure  he  could  drive  McClernand  back  upon 
General  Wallace.  General  Buckner,  with  the 
other  half  of  the  army,  was  to  push  out  from 
the  northwest  angle  of  the  fort  at  the  same 
time,  attack  General  Wallace,  and  force  him  back 
upon  General  McClernand,  which  would  throw 
the  Union  troops  into  confusion.  By  adopting 
this  plan  he  hoped  to  win  a  victory,  or  if  not  that, 
he  could  open  a  way  of  escape  to  the  whole  army. 
The  plan  was  agreed  to  by  the  other  officers,  and 
preparations  were  made  for  the  attack.  The  sol- 
diers received  extra  rations  and  a  large  quantity 
of  ammunition.  The  caissons  of  the  artillery 
were  filled  up,  and  the  regiments  placed  in  posi- 
tion to  move  early  in  the  morning. 

SATUBDAY. 

General  B.  R.  Johnson  led  the  Rebel  column, 
and  Colonel  Baldwin's  brigade  the  advance.  It 
was  composed  of  the  First  and  Fourteenth  Missis- 
sippi and  the  Twenty-sixth  Tennessee  regiments. 
The  next  brigade  was  Colonel  Wharton's.  It 
was  composed  of  the  Fiftieth  and  Fifty-first  Vir« 
ginia.  McCousland's  brigade  was  composed  of 


112     THE  CAPTURE  OF  FORT  DONLLSON. 

luellebelB  more  from  their  Intrenchmento.  McClernand'i  Position. 

the  Thirty-sixth  and  Fifty-sixth  Virginia  ;  David- 
ion's  brigade  was  composed  of  the  Seventh  Texas, 
Eighth  Kentucky,  and  Third  Mississippi ;  Colonel 
Drake's  brigade  was  composed  of  the  Fourth  and 
Twentieth  Mississippi,  Garven's  battalion  of  rifle- 
men, Fifteenth  Arkansas,  and  a  Tennessee  regi- 
ment. Hieman's  brigade  was  composed  of  the 
Tenth,  Thirtieth,  and  Forty-eighth  Tennessee,  and 
the  Twenty-seventh  Alabama.  There  were  about 
thirty  pieces  of  artillery,  and  twelve  thousand 
men  in  this  column. 

McArthur's  brigade  of  McClernand's  division 
was  on  the  extreme  right,  and  a  short  distance  in 
rear  of  Oglesby.  The  Rebels  moved  down  the 
Union  Ferry  road,  which  leads  southwest  towards 
Clarksville,  which  brought  them  nearly  south  of 
Oglesby  and  McArthur.  Oglesby's  regiments  stood, 
the  Eighth  Illinois  on  the  right,  then  the  Twenty 
ninth,  Thirtieth,  and  Thirty-first,  counting  towards 
the  left.  Schwartz's  battery  was  on  the  right  and 
Dresser's  on  the  left.  Wallace's  brigade  was 
formed  with  the  Thirty-first  Illinois  on  the  right, 
close  to  Oglesby's  left  flank  regiment,  then  the 
Twentieth,  Forty-eighth,  Forty-fifth,  Forty-ninth, 
and  Seventeenth  Illinois.  McAllister's  battery  was 
between  the  Eleventh  and  Twentieth,  and  Tay 
lor's  between  the  Seventeenth  and  Forty-ninth. 
Colonel  Dickey's  cavalry  was  in  rear,  his  horses 
picketed  in  the  woods  and  eating  corn.  North  of 


THE  CAPTUKE  OF  FORT  DONELSON.     113 


fhe  Union  Army  anprep»r«d.  The  Beginning  of  the  Battle. 

the  Fort  Henry  road  was  Colonel  Cruft's  brigade 
of  General  Lewis  Wallace's  division,  the  Twenty- 
fifth  Kentucky  having  the  right,  then  the  Thirty- 
first  Indiana,  the  Seventeenth  Kentucky,  the  For- 
ty-fourth  Indiana,  with  Wood's  battery. 

These  are  all  the  regiments  which  took  part  in 
the  terrible  fight  of  Saturday  forenoon.  Thej 
were  unprepared  for  the  assault.  The  soldiers 
had  not  risen  from  their  snowy  beds.  The  reveille 
was  just  sounding  when  the  sharp  crack  of  the 
rifles  was  heard  in  the  thickets  on  the  extreme 
right.  Then  the  artillery  opened.  Schwartz's, 
Dresser's,  McAllister's,  and  Taylor's  men  sprang 
from  their  blankets  to  their  guns.  It  was  hardly 
light  enough  to  see  the  enemy.  They  could  only 
distinguish  the  flashes  of  the  guns  and  the  wreaths 
of  smoke  through  the  branches  of  the  trees  ;  but 
they  aimed  at  the  flashes,  and  sent  their  shells 
upon  the  advancing  columns. 

The  Rebel  batteries  replied,  and  the  wild  uproar 
of  the  terrible  day  began. 

Instead  of  moving  west,  directly  upon  the  front 
of  Oglesby,  McArthur,  and  Wallace,  the  Rebel 
column  under  Pillow  marched  down  the  Union 
Perry  road  south  a  half-mile,  then  turned  abrupt- 
ij  towards  the  northwest.  You  see  by  the  ac- 
companying diagram  how  the  troops  stood  at  the 
beginning  of  the  battle.  There  is  McArdrar'i 
brigade  with  Schwartz's  battery,  Oglesby'»  brig 


114 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  FORT  DONELSON. 


How  the  Rebels  attacked  McClernand. 


The  Regiments  first  engaged. 


ade  with  Dresser's  battery,  Wallace's  brigade 
with  McAllister's  and  Taylor's  batteries,  —  all 
facing  the  town.  Across  the  brook,  upon  the 
north  side  of  the  ravine,  is  Cruft's  brigade.  You 
see  Pillow's  brigades  wheeling  upon  McArthur 
and  Oglesby,  and  across  the  Fort  Henry  road, 
coming  down  from  the  breastworks,  are  General 
Buckner's  brigades. 


THB  ATTACK  ON  MCCLERNAJTO, 

1  McArthur's  brigade.  4  Craft's  brigade. 

2  Oglesby's  brigade.  6  Pillow's  division!. 

8  W.  H.  L.  Wallace's  brigade.  6  Buckner'3  diYision*. 

Schwartz,  Dresser,  and  McAllister  wheel  their 
Ains  towards  Pillow's  column.  The  Rebels  open 
with  a  volley  of  musketry.  The  fire  is  aimed  at  the 
Eighth  and  Twenty-ninth  Illinois  regiments,  which. 


THE   CAPTURE   OP   FORT  DONELSON.  115 

ColonU  Logan.  The  Kebel  Cavalry  sweep  round  to  the  Bear. 

you  remember,  are  on  the  right  of  Oglesby's  brig- 
ade. The  men  are  cold.  They  have  sprung  from 
their  icy  beds  to  take  their  places  in  the  ranks. 
They  have  a  scant  supply  of  ammunition,  and  are 
unprepared  for  the  assault,  but  they  are  not  the 
men  to  run  at  the  first  fire.  The  Rebel  mus- 
ketry begins  to  thin  their  ranks,  but  they  do 
not  flinch.  They  send  their  volleys  into  the 
face  of  the  enemy. 

Another  Rebel  brigade  arrives,  and  fires  upon 
the  Thirtieth  and  Thirty-first  Illinois,  —  the  two 
regiments  on  the  left  of  Oglesby's  brigade. 
Colonel  John  A.  Logan  commands  the  Thirty- 
first.  He  told  the  Southern  conspirators  in  Con- 
gress, when  they  were  about  to  secede  from  the 
Union,  that  the  men  of  the  Northwest  would  hew 
their  way  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  with  their  swords, 
if  they  attempted  to  close  the  Mississippi.  He  is 
not  disposed  to  yield  his  ground.  He  encourages 
his  men,  and  they  remain  immovable  before  the 
Rebel  brigades.  Instead  of  falling  back,  he  swings 
his  regiment  towards  the  Rebels,  and  stands  con 
fronting  them. 

But  while  this  is  going  on,  the  Rebel  cavalry 
have  moved  round  to  the  rear  of  McArthur.  They 
dash  down  a  ravine,  through  the  bushes,  over  the 
fallen  trees,  and  charge  up  the  hill  upon  the  Ninth 
and  Eighteenth  regiments  of  McArthur's  brigade. 
They  are  sent  back  in  confusion,  but  the  onset  ha? 


116     THE  OAPTUBE  OF  POBT  DONBLSON. 

Cbefte*lnentiooap«ne4to&aitMck.  1.  Oh«nge  of  front 

been  so  fierce  and  the  charge  so  far  in  the  rear, 
that  Me  Arthur  is  compelled  to  fall  hack  and  form 
a  new  line.  The  Rebels  have  begun  to  open  the 
door  which  General  Grant  had  closed  against 
them.  The  brigades  in  front  of  Oglesby  are 
pouring  murderous  volleys  upon  the  Eighth  and 
Twenty-ninth.  The  falling  back  of  McArthur 
to  meet  the  attack  on  his  rear  has  enabled  the 
enemy  to  come  up  behind  these  regiments,  and 
they  are  also  compelled  to  fall  back. 

The  Rebels  in  front  are  elated.  They  move 
nearer,  working  their  way  along  a  ravine,  shel- 
tered by  a  ridge  of  land.  They  load  their  mus- 
kets, rush  up  to  the  crest  of  the  bill,  deliver  their 
fire,  and  step  back  to  reload  ;  but  as  often  as  they 
appear,  McAllister  and  Dresser  and  Taylor  give 
them  grape  and  canister. 

The  Eleventh  and  Twentieth  Illinois,  on  the 
right  of  Wallace's  brigade,  join  hi  the  conflict, 
•upporting  the  brave  Logan.  Colonel  Wallace 
swings  the  Forty-eighth,  Forty-fifth,  and  half  of 
the  Forty-ninth  round  towards  Pillow's  brigades, 
leaving  the  other  half  of  the  Forty-ninth  and  the 
Seventeenth  to  hold  the  line  towards  the  Fort 
Henry  road.  If  you  study  the  diagram  carefully, 
you  will  see  that  this  manoeuvre  was  a  change  of 
front.  At  the  beginning  the  line  of  battle  faced 
mortheast,  but  now  it  faces  south. 

There  is  a  ridge  between  Wallace's  brigade  and 


THE  CAPTURE   OF   FORT   DONELSON.  117 

ihe  Bush  upon  theJBatteriea.     Cruft'i  Brigade  _gocg  to  aaglit  McOternand. 

tfae  Rebels.  As  often  as  the  Rebels  advance  to 
ihe  ridge,  Taylor  and  McAllister  with  the  infantry 
drive  them  back.  It  is  an  obstinate  and  bloody 
contest.  The  snow  becomes  crimson.  There 
are  pools  of  clotted  blood  where  the  brave  men 
lie  down  upon  the  ground.  There  are  bayonet- 
charges,  fierce  hand-to-hand  contests.  The  Reb- 
els rush  upon  McAllister's  guns,  but  are  turned 
back.  The  lines  surge  to  and  fro  like  the  waves 
of  the  sea.  The  dying  and  the  dead  are  trampled 
beneath  the  feet  of  the  contending  hosts. 

Wallace  hears  a  sharp  fire  in  his  rear.  The 
Rebels  have  pushed  out  once  more  towards  the 
west  and  are  coming  in  again  upon  the  right 
flank  of  the  new  battle  line.  McClernand  sees 
that  he  is  contending  against  overwhelming  num- 
bers, and  he  sends  a  messenger  in  haste  to  Gen- 
eral Lewis  Wallace,  who  sends  Cruft's  brigade  to 
his  assistance.  The  brigade  goes  down  the  road 
upon  the  run.  The  soldiers  shout  and  hurrah. 
They  pass  in  rear  of  Taylor's  battery,  and  push 
on  to  the  right  to  help  Oglesby  and  McArthur. 

The  Rebels  have  driven  those  brigades.  The 
men  are  hastening  to  the  rear  with  doleful  sto- 
ries. Some  of  them  rush  through  Cruft's  brig- 
ade. Gruft  meets  the  advancing  Rebels  face  to 
face.  The  din  of  battle  has  lulled  for  a  moment, 
but  now  it  rolls  again  louder  than  before.  The 
Rebels  dash  on,  but  it  is  like  the  dashing  of  th« 


118     THE  CAPTURE  OF  FORT  DONELSON. 

General  Buckner  advance!.      Attack  upon  the  Artillery.      The  Gum  lort. 

waves  against  a  rock.  Craft's  men  are  unmoved, 
though  the  Rebels  advance  till  they  are  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  line.  There  are  deafening 
volleys.  The  smoke  from  the  opposing  lines 
becomes  a  single  cloud.  The  Rebels  are  held  in 
check  on  the  right  by  their  firmness  and  endur- 
ance. 

But  just  at  this  moment  General  Buckner's 
brigades  come  out  of  their  intrenchments.  They 
pass  in  front  of  their  rifle-pits  at  the  base  of  the 
hill,  and  march  rapidly  down  to  the  Dover  road. 
Colonel  Wallace  sees  them.  In  a  few  minutes 
they  will  pour  their  volleys  into  the  backs  of  his 
men.  You  remember  that  the  Seventeenth  and 
part  of  the  Forty-ninth  Illinois  regiments  were 
left  standing  near  the  road.  You  hear  from  their 
muskets  now.  They  stand  their  ground  and 
meet  the  onset  manfully.  Two  guns  of  Taylor's 
battery,  which  have  been  thundering  towards  the 
south,  wheel  round  to  the  northeast  and  sweep 
the  Rebels  with  grape  and  canister. 

Three  fourths  of  tho  Rebel  army  is  pressing 
upon  McClernand's  one  division.  His  troops  are 
disappearing.  Hundreds  are  killed  and  wounded. 
Men  who  carry  the  wounded  to  rear  do  not  return. 
The  Rebels  see  their  advantage,  and  charge  upon 
Schwartz's  and  McAllister's  batteries,  but  are  re- 
pulsed. Reinforced  by  new  regiments,  they  rush 
on  again.  They  shoot  the  gunners  and  the  horsei 


THE  CAPTUEE  OF  FORT  DONELSON.  119 

great  Josa  of  Officer*.  Colonel  Wallace's  Position. 

and  seize  the  cannon.  The  struggle  is  fierce,  but 
unequal.  Oglesby's  men  are  overpowered,  the 
line  gives  way.  The  Rebels  push  on  with  a  yell, 
and  seize  several  of  Sell  »>  —  z's  and  McAllister's 
guns.  The  gunners  fight  determinedly  for  a 
moment,  but  they  are  few  against  many,  and  are 
shot  or  taken  prisoners.  A  l^Gssissippi  regiment 
attempts  to  capture  Taylor's  g»ins,  but  he  sweeps 
it  back  with  grape  and  canistor. 

Up  to  this  moment  Wallace  has  not  yielded  an 
inch.  Two  of  Oglesby's  regiments  next  to  his 
brigade  still  hold  their  ground,  b.it  all  who  stood 
beyond  are  in  full  retreat.  The  Rebels  have 
picked  off  a  score  of  brave  officers  hi  Oglesby's 
command,  —  Colonels  Logan,  Lawler,  and  Ran- 
som are  wounded.  Lieutenant-Colonel  White  of 
the  Thirty-first,  Lieutenant-Colone!  Smith  of  the 
Forty-eighth,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Irvin  of  the 
Twentieth,  and  Major  Post  of  the  Eighth  are 
killed.  The  men  of  Oglesby's  brigade,  although 
they  have  lost  so  many  of  their  leaders,  are  not 
panic-stricken.  They  are  overpowered  for  the 
moment.  Some  of  the  regiments  a/e  out  of  am- 
munition. They  know  that  reinforcements  are 
at  hand,  and  they  fall  back  in  ordur. 

To  understand  Wallace's  position  it  this  stage 
of  the  battle,  imagine  that  you  stan  1  with  your 
face  towards  the  south  fighting  a  powerful  antago- 
nist, that  a  second  equally  powerful  it  coming  up 


120  THE   CAPTUBE   OP  FORT   DONELSON. 

H*  ratMte  In  good  order  Q«nerml  Wallace  §«ndi  Thayert  BrigafeT 

oil  your  right  hand,  and  that  a  third  is  giving 
heavy  blows  upon  your  left  shoulder,  almost  in 
your  back.  Pillow,  with  one  half  of  his  brigades,  h 
in  front,  Johnson,  with  the  other  half  of  Pillow' i 
command,  is  comming  up  on  the  right,  and  Buck- 
ner,  with  all  of  his  brigades,  is  moving  ''.own  upon 
the  left. 

Wallace  sees  that  he  must  retreat.  The  Elav* 
enth  and  Thirty-first  —  Ransom's  and  Logan's 
regiments  —  are  still  fighting  on  Wallace's  right 
There  is  great  slaughter  in  their  ranks,  but  they 
do  not  flee.  They  change  front  and  march  a  few 
rods  to  the  rear,  come  into  line  and  fire  a  volley 
at  the  advancing  Rebels.  Forest's  cavalry  dashei 
upon  them  and  cuts  off  a  few  prisoners,  but  th* 
line  is  only  bruised,  not  broken.  Thus  loading 
and  firing,  contesting  all  the  ground,  the  troop* 
descend  the  hill,  cross  the  clear  running  brook, 
and  march  up  the  hill  upon  the  other  side. 

But  there  are  some  frightened  men,  who  fling 
away  their  guns  and  rush  wildly  to  the  rear.  An 
officer  dashes  down  the  road,  crying :  "  We  are 
cut  to  pieces  !  The  day  is  lost !  " 

"  Shut  up  your  head,  you  scoundrel ! "  shouts 
General  Wallace. 

It  has  had  an  effect  upon  his  troops.  They  are 
nervous,  and  look  round,  expecting  to  see  the 
enemy  in  overwhelming  numbers.  General  Wal- 
lace sees  that  there  has  been  disaster.  He  doei 
not  wait  for  orders  to  march. 


THE   CAPTUBE  OF  FOBT  DONELSON.  121 

Wood'i  Battery  tent  for. 

"  Third  brigade,  by  the  right  flank,  double- 
quick,  Forward,  March  !  "  Colonel  Thayer  com- 
manding the  brigade  repeats  the  order.  The 
men  break  into  a  run  towards  the  front  along  the 
road.  General  Wallace  gallops  in  advance,  and 
meets  Colonel  Wallace  conducting  his  brigade  to 
the  rear. 

"  We  are  out  of  ammunition.  The  enemy  are 
following.  If  you  will  put  your  troops  into  line 
till  we  can  fill  our  cartridge-boxes,  we  will  stop 
them."  He  says  it  so  coolly  and  deliberately  that 
it  astonishes  General  Wallace.  It  reassures  him. 
He  feels  that  it  is  a  critical  moment,  but  with 
men  retiring  so  deliberately,  there  is  no  reason  to 
be  discouraged. 

He  leads  Thayer's  brigade  up  to  the  crest  of  the 
hill,  just  where  the  road  begins  to  descend  into 
the  ravine,  through  which  gurgles  the  clear  ru»- 
ning  brook. 

"  Bring  up  Company  A,  Chicago  Light  Artil- 
lery ! "  he  shouts  to  an  aid.  A  few  moments,  and 
Captain  Wood,  who  commands  the  battery,  leads 
it  along  the  road.  The  horses  are  upon  the  gat 
^p.  The  teamsters  lash  them  with  their  whips. 
They  leap  over  logs,  stones,  stumps,  and  through 
the  bushes.  They  halt  at  the  crest  of  the  hill. 

'*  Put  your  guns  here,  two  pieces  hi  the  road, 
and  two  on  each  side,  and  load  with  grape  and 
canister." 


122  THE  CAPTURE  OF  FORT  DONELSON. 

The  new  Line  of  Battle.  Ck  oral  Pillow  telegraphs 

The  men  spring  to  thoir  pieces.  They  throw 
off  their  coats,  and  work  in  their  shirt-sleeves. 
They  ram  home  the  cartri  Iges  and  stand  beside 
their  pieces,  waiting  for  the  enemy. 

The  battery  faces  southeast.  On  the  right  of  the 
battery,  next  to  it,  is  the  1  irst  Nebraska,  and  be- 
yond it  the  Fifty-eighth  Illinois.  On  the  left  of  the 
battery  is  Captain  Davison's  company  of  the  Thir- 
ty-second Illinois,  and  beyond  it  the  Fifty-eighth 
Ohio.  A  few  rods  in  rear  s  the  Seventy-sixth 
Ohio  and  the  Forty-sixth  and  1  Hfty-seventh  Illinois. 

Me  Arthur,  Oglesby,  Wallav'/e,  and  Cruft  have 
all  fallen  back,  and  their  regiments  are  reforming 
in  the  woods  west  of  Thayer's  position,  and  filling 
their  cartridge-boxes. 

The  Rebels  halt  a  little  whiU  upon  the  ground 
from  which  they  have  driven  McClernand,  rifling 
the  pockets  of  the  dead  and  robling  the  wounded. 
General  Pillow  feels  very  well.  He  writes  a  de- 
spatch, which  is  telegraphed  to  Nashville,  — 

"  On  the  honor  of  a  soldier,  th  3  day  is  ours !  " 

Buckner  unites  his  brigades  to  Pillow's,  and 
they  prepare  for  a  second  advance.  It  gives  Gen- 
eral Wallace  time  to  perfect  his  line.  Willard's 
battery,  which  was  left  at  Fort  3enry,  has  just 
arrived.  It  gallops  into  position  in  the  woods 
west  of  Thayer's  brigade.  Drest-er  and  Taylor 
also  come  into  position.  They  aiM  ready. 

The  Rebels  descend  the  hill  01    the  east  side 


THE   CAPTURE    OF   FORT   DONELSON. 


123 


floneral  Floyd  alters  hla  Plan. 


The  second  Battle. 


of  the  brook,  and  move  up  the  road.  They  are 
flushed  with  success,  aud  are  confident  of  defeat- 
ing General  Grant.  General  Floyd  has  changed 
his  mind ;  instead  of  escaping,  as  he  can  do  by 
the  road  leading  to  Nashville,  he  thinks  he  will 
put  the  army  of  General  Grant  to  rout. 


1  Tn»yer'«  brigade  with  Wood's  battery. 
a  MoCleraand'i  brigade*. 


8  Cruft'i  brlfuda 

4  Rebels. 


The  advancing  columns  step  across  the  brook, 
and  begin  to  ascend  the  hill.  The  artillery  opens 
its  fire.  The  Rebel  batteries  reply.  The  infantry 
rolls  its  volleys.  The  hill  and  the  hollow  are  en- 
veloped in  clouds  of  smoke.  Wood's,  Dresser's, 
Willard's,  and  Taylor's  batteries  open,  —  twenty- 
four  guns  send  their  grape  and  canister,  shrap- 
nel and  shells,  into  the  gray  ranks  which  are 
vainly  endeavoring  to  reach  the  top  of  the  hill 


124  THE   CAPTURE   OF  FORT   DONELSON. 

The  Rebels  are  repulsed.      General  Grant  ranlves  to  attack  the  Intrenohmenti 

The  Rebels  concentrate  their  fire  upon  Wood'i 
battery  and  the  First  Nebraska,  but  those  hardy 
pioneers  from  beyond  the  Missouri,  some  of  them 
Rocky  Mountain  hunters,  cannot  be  driven.  The 
Rebels  fire  too  high.  The  air  is  filled  with  the 
screaming  of  their  bullets,  and  a  wild  storm 
sweeps  over  the  heads  of  the  men  from  Nebraska, 
who  lose  but  ten  men  killed  and  wounded  in  this 
terrible  contest.  The  Nebraska  men  are  old  hun- 
ters, and  do  not  fire  at  random,  but  take  deliber- 
ate aim. 

The  Rebels  march  half-way  up  the  hill,  and 
then  fall  back  to  the  brook.  They  have  lost 
courage.  Their  officers  rally  the  wavering  lines. 
Again  they  advance,  but  are  forced  back  by  the 
musketry  and  the  grape  and  canister. 

They  break  in  confusion,  and  vain  are  all  the 
attempts  of  the  officers  to  rally  them.  General 
Floyd's  plan,  which  worked  so  successfully  in  the 
morning,  has  failed  at  noon.  General  Pillow's 
telegram  was  sent  too  soon  by  a  half-hour.  The 
Rebels  retire  to  the  hill,  and  help  themselves  to 
the  overcoats,  blankets,  beef,  bread,  and  other 
things  in  McClernand's  camp. 

General  Grant  determined  to  assault  the  enemy's 
works.  He  thought  that  the  rifle-pits  at  the  north- 
west angle  of  the  fort  could  be  carried  ;  that  then 
he  could  plant  his  batteries  so  near  that,  under 
their  fire,  he  could  get  into  the  fort.  General 


THE  CAPTURE   OF   FORT  DONELSON.  125 

The  Eighth  Missouri  and  Eleventh  Indianv  The  AdYcnse. 

Smith's  division  had  not  been  engaged  in  the 
battles  of  the  morning.  His  troops  had  heard 
the  roar  of  the  conflict  and  the  cheers  of  their 
comrades  when  the  Rebels  were  beaten  back. 

They  were  ready  for  action.  They  were  nerved 
up  to  attempt  great  deeds  for  their  country.  The 
Rebels  had  been  repulsed,  and  now  they  could 
defeat  them. 

General  Grant  directed  General  Wallace  to 
move  forward  from  his  position,  across  the  brook, 
drive  the  Rebels  back,  and  then  assault  their 
works.  A  large  body  of  Rebels  still  held  the 
ground,  from  which  McClernand  had  been  driven. 

General  Wallace  placed  Colonel  Morgan  L. 
Smith's  brigade  in  front.  There  was  conten 
tion  between  the  Eighth  Missouri  and  Eleventh 
Indiana,  for  each  wanted  the  honor  of  leading  the 
assault.  The  Eleventh  yielded  to  the  Eighth,  with 
the  understanding  that  in  the  next  assault  it 
should  have  the  advance.  Thus  with  generous 
rivalry  and  unbounded  enthusiasm  they  prepared 
to  advance. 

The  Eleventh  followed  the  Eighth.  Colonel 
Cruft's  brigade,  with  two  Ohio  regiments  under 
Colonel  Ross,  completed  the  column.  Colonel 
Cruft  formed  in  line  of  battle  to  the  right  of 
Colonel  Smith.  They  crossed  the  brook.  It  was 
a  dark  and  bloody  ravine.  The  Rebel  dead  and 
wounded  were  lying  there,  thick  almost  as  the 


126     THE  CAPTURE  OF  FORT  DONELSON. 

How  they  fought.  General  Smith '•  Attack 

withered  forest-leaves.  The  snow  was  crimson. 
The  brook  was  no  longer  a  clear  running  stream, 
but  red  with  blood. 

General  Wallace  was  aware  of  the  desperate 
character  of  the  enterprise.  He  told  his  men 
what  they  were  to  do,  —  to  drive  the  enemy,  and 
storm  the  breastworks. 

"  Hurrah !  that 's  just  what  we  want  to  do. 
Forward  !  Forward !  We  are  ready  !  "  were  their 
answers.  They  could  see  the  Rebel  lines  on  the 
hill.  The  Rebels  knew  that  they  were  to  be  at- 
tacked, and  were  ready  to  receive  them. 

Colonel  Smith  moved  up  the  road.  His  point 
of  attack  was  clear,  but  Cruft's  was  through  brush 
and  over  stony  ground.  A  line  of  skirmishers 
sprang  out  from  the  Eighth  Missouri.  They  ran 
up  the  hill,  and  came  face  to  face  with  the  Rebel 
skirmishers. 

They  fought  from  tree  to  tree,  firing,  picking 
off  an  opponent,  then  falling  upon  the  ground  to 
reload. 

The  regiments  followed.  They  were  half-way 
up  the  hill,  when  a  line  of  fire  began  to  run  round 
the  crest. 

"  Down !  down ! "  shouted  Colonel  Smith.  The 
regiments  fell  flat,  and  the  storm  swept  harmlessly 
over  their  heads.  The  Rebels  cheered.  They 
thought  they  had  annihilated  Colonel  Smith's 
command  Up  they  rose,  and  rushed  upon  the 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  FORT  DONELSON.     127 

The  Rebel  Position  on  the  Left 

enemy,  pouring  in  their  volleys,  falling  when  the 
fight  was  hottest,  rising  as  soon  as  the  Rebels  had 
fired  Thus  they  closed  upon  the  enemy,  and 
pushed  him  back  over  all  the  ground  he  had  won 
in  the  morning,  driving  him  into  his  works. 

General  Wallace  was  preparing  to  assault  the 
works,  when  an  officer  dashed  down  the  line  with 
cheering  news  of  success  upon  the  left. 

Returning  now  to  General  Smith's  division,  we 
see  him  preparing  to  storm  the  works  near  the 
northwest  angle  of  the  fort.  Colonel  Cook's  brig- 
ade is  directed  to  make  a  feint  of  attacking  the 
fort.  Major  Cavender  brings  his  heavy  guns  into 
position,  and  opens  a  furious  cannonade,  under 
cover  of  which  Colonel  Lauman  is  to  advance 
upon  the  rifle-pits  on  the  outer  ridge.  If  he  can 
get  possession  of  those,  Cavender  can  plant  his 
guns  there  and  rake  the  inner  trenches. 

Colonel  Hanson's  brigade,  —  the  Second  Ken- 
tucky, Twentieth  Mississippi,  and  Thirtieth  Ten 
nessee,  are  in  the  rifle-pits.  There  are  six  pieces 
of  artillery  and  another  brigade  behind  the  inner 
intreuchments,  all  ready  to  pour  their  fire  upon 
the  advancing  columns.  Colonel  Hanson's  men 
lie  secure  behind  the  trunks  of  the  great  forest 
oaks,  their  rifles  thrust  through  between  the  logs. 
It  is  fifteen  or  twenty  rods  to  the  bottom  of  the 
slope,  and  there  you  find  the  frilen  trees,  with 
their  branches  interlocked,  and  sharp  stakes  driven 


128 


THE   CAPTUEE   OF   FORT   DONELSON. 


Laoman'u  Brigade. 


into  the  ground.  Beyond  is  the  meadow  where 
Lauman  forms  his  brigade.  The  Rebels  have  a 
clear  sweep  of  all  the  ground. 

General  Smith  leads  Lauman's  men  to  the 
meadow,  while  Colonel  Cook  moves  up  on  the  left 
and  commences  the  attack.  The  soldiers  1-^ar, 
far  down  on  the  right,  Wallace's  brigades  driving 
the  enemy  from  the  hill. 


TUB  CHARGE  OF  LAUXAX'S  BSIGADB. 


1  IAUUUI'I  brigade. 

S  Cook's  brigade. 

8  3  Cavender's  batteries,  with  Infantry. 


4  Rebel  rifle-pita. 
6  Rebel  inner  wort 


It  is  almost  sunset.  The  rays  of  light  fall 
aslant  the  meadow,  upon  the  backs  of  Lauman's 
men,  and  into  the  faces  of  the  Rebels.  The  ad 
vancing  brigade  is  in  solid  column  of  regiments, 


THE  CAPTUBE   OF  FORT  DONELSON.  129 

In  the  Meadow. 

the  Second  Iowa  in  front,  then  the  Twenty-fifth 
Indiana,  the  Seventh  and  Fourteenth  Iowa, — 
four  firm,  unwavering  lines,  which  throw  their 
shadows  forward  as  they  advance.  Birges's  sharp- 
shooters, with  their  unerring  rifles,  are  flung  out 
on  each  flank. 

The  brigade  halts  upon  the  meadow.  General 
Smith  rides  along  the  line,  and  informs  them  that 
they  are  to  take  the  rifle-pits  with  the  bayonet 
alone.  He  sits  firmly  on  his  horse,  and  his  long 
gray  hair,  falling  almost  to  his  shoulders,  waves 
in  the  evening  breeze.  He  is  an  iron  man,  and 
he  leads  iron  men.  The  Rebel  cannon  cut  them 
through  with  solid  shot,  shells  burst  above  and 
around  them,  with  loud  explosions  and  terrifying 
shrieks  from  the  flying  fragments,  men  drop  from 
the  ranks,  or  are  whirled  into  the  air  torn  and 
mangled.  There  are  sudden  gaps,  but  not  a 
man  flinches.  They  look  not  towards  the  rear, 
but  towards  the  front.  There  are  the  fallen  trees, 
the  hill,  the  line  of  two  thousand  muskets  poised 
between  the  logs,  the  cannon  thundering  from  the 
height  beyond.  There  is  no  whispering  in  those 
solid  ranks,  no  loud  talking,  nothing  but  the 
"  Steady !  steady !  "  of  the  officers.  Their  hearts 
beat  great  throbs.  Their  nerves  are  steel,  their 
muscles  iron.  They  grasp  their  muskets  with 
the  gripe  of  tigers.  Before  them  rides  theii 
General,  his  cap  upon  his  sword,  his  long  hair 
«*  i 


130  THE   CAPTURE   OF   FORT   DONELSON. 

LMun&n'i  Irresistible  Charge!         The  wild  Hurrah.  Btone'i  Battery 

streaming  like  a  banner  in  the  wind.  The  color- 
bearer,  waring  the  stars  and  stripes,  marches  by 
his  side. 

They  move  across  the  meadow.  All  around 
them  is  the  deafening  roar  of  the  conflict.  Cav- 
ender  is  behind  them,  Cook  is  upon  their  left,  the 
enemy  is  in  front,  and  Wallace  away  upon  their 
right.  They  reach  the  fallen  trees  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill.  The  pile  of  logs  above  them  bursts  into 
flame.  A  deadly  storm,  more  terrible  than  the 
fiercest  winter  blast,  sweeps  down  the  slope  into 
their  faces.  There  are  lightning  flashes  and 
thunderbolts  from  the  hill  above.  Men  drop 
from  their  places,  to  lie  forever  still  among  the 
tangled  branches.  But  their  surviving  comrades 
do  not  falter.  On,  —  on,  —  creeping,  crawling, 
climbing  over  the  obstructions,  un terrified,  un- 
daunted, with  all  the  energy  of  life  centred  in 
one  effort ;  like  a  tornado  they  sweep  up  the 
slope,  —  into  the  line  of  fire,  into  the  hissing 
storm,  up  to  the  logs,  into  the  cloud,  leaping 
like  tigers,  thrusting  the  bayonet  home  upon  the 
foe.  The  Rebels  reel,  stagger,  tumble,  run ! 

"  HUBBA H  !  " 

It  is  a  wild,  prolonged,  triumphant  shout,  like 
the  blast  of  a  trumpet.  They  plant  their  banners 
on  the  works,  and  fire  their  volleys  into  the  re- 
treating foe.  Stone's  battery  gallops  over  the 
meadow,  over  the  logs,  up  the  hill,  the  horses 


THE  CAPTUBE  OP  FOBT  DONELSON.  131 

The  Victory  won. 

leaping  and  plunging  as  if  they,  too,  knew  that 
victory  was  hanging  in  the  scale.  The  gunners 
spring  from  their  seats,  wheel  their  pieces  and 
throw  their  shells,  an  enfilading  fire,  into  the 
upper  works. 

"  Hurrah !  hurrah  !  hurrah !  "  rings  through 
the  forest,  down  the  line  to  Wallace's  men. 

"  We  have  carried  the  works  !  "  "  We  are 
Inside !  "  shouts  an  officer  bearing  the  welcome 
news. 

The  men  toss  their  caps  in  the  air.  They 
shake  hands,  they  shout,  and  break  into  singing. 
They  forget  all  their  hardships  and  sufferings,  the 
hungry  days,  the  horrible  nights,  the  wounded 
and  the  dead.  The  success  is  worth  all  the  eao 
rifioe. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE    SURRENDER. 


How  they  held  the  Ground.  The  Bogle-CUL 

ALL  through  the  night  the  brave  men  held  the 
ground  they  had  BO  nobly  won.  They  rested 
on  snowy  beds.  They  had  no  supper.  They 
could  kindle  no  fires  to  warm  the  wintry  air. 
The  cannon  above  them  hurled  down  shells,  and 
sent  volleys  of  grape,  which  screamed  above  and 
around  them  like  the  voices  of  demons  in  tne 
darkness.  The  branches  of  the  trees  were  torn 
from  their  trunks  by  the  solid  shot,  and  the 
trunks  were  splintered  from  top  to  bottom,  but 
they  did  not  falter  or  retire  from  that  slope  where 
the  snow  was  crimsoned  with  the  life-blood  of 
hundreds  of  their  comrades.  Nearly  four  hun- 
dred had  fallen  in  that  attack.  The  hill  had  cost 
a  great  deal  of  blood,  but  it  was  worth  all  it  cost, 
and  they  would  not  give  it  up.  So  they  braved  the 
leaden  rain  and  iron  hail  through  the  weary  hours 
of  that  winter  night.  They  only  waited  for  day- 
break to  storm  the  inner  works  and  take  the  fort. 
Their  ardor  and  enthusiasm  was  unbounded. 
As  the  morning  approached  they  heard  a  bugle- 


THE   SURRENDER.  133 

The  F  ig  of  Trace.   Rebel  Council  of  War.  Floyd  and  Pillow  blame  Buokner. 

call.  They  looked  across  the  narrow  ravine,  and 
saw,  n  the  dim  light  of  the  dawn,  a  man  waving 
a  whi  te  flag  upon  the  intrenchments.  It  was  a 
sign  for  a  parley.  He  jumped  down  from  the 
embankment,  and  descended  the  hill. 

"Halt!  Who  comes  there?"  shouted  the 
picket 

"Flag  of  truce  with  a  letter  for  General 
Grant." 

An  )fficer  took  the  letter,  and  hastened  down 
the  slope,  across  the  meadow,  up  to  the  house  on 
the  Dover  road,  where  General  Grant  had  his 
head-qi  arters. 

During  the  night  there  had  been  a  council  of 
war  at  ( reneral  Floyd's  head-quarters.  Nearly  all 
the  Rebol  officers  commanding  brigades  and  regi- 
ments were  there.  They  were  down-hearted 
They  ha«l  fought  bravely,  won  a  victory,  as  they 
thought,  but  had  lost  it.  A  Rebel  officer  who  was 
there  toLl  me  what  they  said.  General  Floyd  and 
General  Pillow  blamed  General  Buckner  for  not 
advancing  earlier  in  the  morning,  and  for  making 
what  they  thought  a  feeble  attack.  They  could 
have  escaped  after  they  drove  McClernand  across 
the  brook,  but  now  they  were  hemmed  in.  The 
prospect  was  gloomy.  The  troops  were  exhausted 
by  the  lonj;  conflict,  by  constant  watching,  and  by 
the  cold.  What  bitter  nights  those  were  to  the 
men  who  came  from  Texas,  Alabama,  and  Missis 


134  THE   SURRENDER. 


cannot  hold  his  Position.        Hia  Appearance.        Floyd's  Opinion. 

sippi,  where  the  roses  bloom  and  the  blue-birds 
sing  through  all  the  winter  months. 

What  should  be  done  ?  Should  they  make 
another  attack,  and  cut  their  way  out,  or  should 
they  surrender? 

"  I  cannot  hold  my  position  a  half-hour.  The 
Yankees  can  turn  my  flank  or  advance  directly 
upon  the  breastworks,"  said  General  Buckner. 

"  If  you  had  advanced  at  the  time  agreed  upon, 
and  made  a  more  vigorous  attack,  we  should  have 
routed  the  enemy,"  said  General  Floyd. 

"  I  advanced  as  soon  as  I  could,  and  my  troops 
fought  as  bravely  as  others,"  was  the  response 
from  General  Buckner,  —  a  middle-aged,  mediun. 
sized  man.  His  hair  is  iron  gray.  He  has  thin 
whiskers  and  a  moustache,  and  wears  a  gray  ker- 
sey overcoat,  with  a  great  cape,  and  gold  lace  on 
the  sleeves,  and  a  black  hat  with  a  nodding  black 
plume. 

"  Well,  here  we  are,  and  it  is  useless  to  renew 
the  attack  with  any  hope  of  success.  The  men 
are  exhausted,"  said  General  Floyd,  —  a  stout, 
heavy  man,  with  thick  lips,  a  large  nose,  ovil 
eyes,  and  coarse  features. 

"  We  can  cut  our  way  out,"  said  Major  Brown, 
commanding  the  Twentieth  Mississippi,  —  a  tall, 
black-haired,  impetuous,  fiery  man. 

"  Some  of  us  might  escape  in  that  way,  but  the 
attempt  would  be  attended  with  great  slaughter,' 
responded  General  Floyd. 


THE   SUBRENDKB.  135 

General  Pillow  wants  to  wait  another  Day     Floyd  will  not  be  taken  Prisoner. 

"  My  troops  are  so  worn  out  and  cut  to  pieces 
and  demoralized,  that  I  can't  make  another  fight," 
said  Buckner. 

"  My  troops  will  fight  till  they  die,"  answered 
Major  Brown,  setting  his  teeth  together. 

"  It  will  cost  the  command  three  quarters  of 
its  present  number  to  cut  its  way  through,  and  it 
is  wrong  to  sacrifice  three  quarters  of  a  command 
to  save  the  other  quarter,"  Buckner  continued. 

"  No  officer  has  a  right  to  cause  such  a  sacri- 
fice," said  Major  Gilmer,  of  General  Pillow's  staff. 

"  But  we  can  hold  out  another  day,  and  by  that 
time  we  can  get  steamboats  here  to  take  us  across 
the  river,"  said  General  Pillow. 

"  No,  I  can't  hold  my  position  a  half-hour,  and 
the  Yankees  will  renew  the  attack  at  daybreak," 
Buckner  replied. 

"  Then  we  have  got  to  surrender,  for  aught  I 
see,"  said  an  officer. 

"  I  won't  surrender  the  command,  neither  will 
[  be  taken  prisoner,"  said  Floyd.  He  doubtless 
remembered  how  he  had  stolen  public  property, 
while  in  office  under  Buchanan,  and  would  rather 
die  than  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  those  whom  he 
knew  would  be  likely  to  bring  him  to  an  account 
for  his  villany. 

"  I  don't  intend  to  be  taken  prisoner,"  said 
Pillow. 

"  What  will  you  do,  gentlemen  ? "  Buckner 
asked. 


136  THE   SURRENDER. 

He  means  to  escape.  Oenenl  Pillow  ready  to  shirk  BeBpomrtbiili  jT' 

"  I  mean  to  escape,  and  take  my  Virginia  bi  ig- 
ade  with  me,  if  I  can.  I  shall  turn  over  the  com- 
mand to  General  Pillow.  I  have  a  right  to  escape 
if  I  can,  but  I  have  n't  any  right  to  order  the  entire 
army  to  make  a  hopeless  fight,"  said  Floyd. 

"  If  you  surrender  it  to  me,  I  shall  turn  it  over 
to  General  Buckner,"  said  General  Pillow,  who 
was  also  disposed  to  shirk  responsibility  and  de- 
sert the  men  whom  he  had  induced  to  vote  to 
secede  from  the  Union  and  take  up  arms  against 
their  country. 

"  If  the  command  comes  into  my  hands,  I  shall 
deem  it  my  duty  to  surrender  it.  I  shall  not  call 
upon  the  troops  to  make  a  useless  sacrifice  of  life, 
and  I  will  not  desert  the  men  who  have  fought  st 
nobly,"  Buckiier  replied,  with  a  bitterness  which 
made  Floyd  and  Pillow  wince. 

It  was  past  midnight.  The  council  broke  up. 
The  brigade  and  regimental  officers  were  aston- 
ished at  the  result.  Some  of  them  broke  out  into 
horrid  cursing  and  swearing  at  Floyd  and  Pillow. 

"  It  is  mean  !  "  "  It  is  cowardly !  "  "  Floyd 
always  was  a  rascal." 

"  We  are  betrayed  !  "  "  There  is  treachery  ! ' 
said  they. 

"  It  is  a  mean  trick  for  an  officer  to  desert  hi? 
men.  If  my  troops  are  to  be  surrendered,  I  shaV 
stick  by  them,"  said  Major  Brown. 

"  I  denounce  Pillow  as  a  coward,  and  if  I  evei 


THE   SURRENDER.  187 


How  Floyd  and  Pillow  ascaped.  General  Grant's  Terms. 

meet  him,  I  '11  shoot  him  as  quick  as  I  would  a 
dog,"  said  Major  McLain,  red  with  rage. 

Floyd  gave  out  that  he  was  going  to  join 
Colonel  Forrest,  who  commanded  the  cavalry, 
and  thus  cut  his  way  out ;  but  there  were  two  or 
three  small  steamboats  at  the  Dover  landing. 
He  and  General  Pillow  jumped  on  board  one  of 
them,  and  then  secretly  marched  a  portion  of  the 
Virginia  brigade  on  board.  Other  soldiers  saw 
what  was  going  on,  that  they  were  being  deserted. 
They  became  frantic  with  terror  and  rage.  They 
rushed  on  board,  crowding  every  part  of  the  boat. 

"  Cut  loose !  "  shouted  Floyd  to  the  captain. 
The  boats  swung  into  the  stream  and  moved  up 
the  river,  leaving  thousands  of  infuriated  soldiers 
on  the  landing.  So  the  man  who  had  stolen  the 
public  property,  and  who  did  all  he  could  to  bring 
on  the  war,  who  induced  thousands  of  poor,  igno- 
rant men  to  take  up  arms,  deserted  his  post,  stole 
away  in  the  darkness,  and  left  them  to  their  fate. 

General  Buckner  immediately  wrote  a  letter  to 
General  Grant,  asking  for  an  armistice  till  twelve 
o'clock,  and  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to 
agree  upon  terms  by  which  the  fort  and  the  pris- 
oners should  be  surrendered. 

"  No  terms,  other  than  unconditional  and  im- 
mediate surrender  can  be  accepted.  I  propose  to 
move  immediately  upon  your  works,"  was  Gen 
era!  Grant's  reply. 


138  THE  SUBBENDEB. 


Bneknw  thinki  it  onchiralroM.  How  Backner  twlndled  a  MInbUr. 

General  Buckner  replied,  that  he  thought  it 
very  unchivalrous,  but  accepted  the  terms.  He 
meant  that  he  did  not  think  it  very  honorable  in 
General  Grant  to  require  an  unconditional  sur- 
render. He  professed  to  have  a  high  sense  of 
all  that  was  noble,  generous,  honorable,  and  high- 
minded.  But  a  few  days  before  he  had  so  forgot- 
ten those  qualities  of  character,  that  he  took  some 
cattle  from  Rev.  Mr.  Wiggin  of  Rochester,  Ken- 
tucky, one  of  his  old  acquaintances,  and  paid  him 
with  a  check  of  three  hundred  dollars  on  the 
Southern  Bank  at  Russelville.  When  Rev.  Mr. 
Wiggin  called  at  the  bank  and  presented  the 
check,  the  cashier  told  him  that  General  Buckner 
never  had  had  any  money  on  deposit  there,  and 
the  bank  did  not  owe  him  a  dollar  !  He  cheated 
and  swindled  the  minister,  and  committed  the 
crime  of  forgery,  which  would  have  sent  him  to 
the  state-prison  in  time  of  peace. 

The  morning  dawned,  —  Sunday  morning, 
calm,  clear,  and  beautiful.  The  horrible  nights 
were  over  and  the  freezing  days  gone  by.  The 
air  was  mild,  and  there  was  a  gentle  breeze  from 
the  south,  which  brought  the  blue-birds.  They 
did  not  mind  the  soldiers  or  the  cannon,  but 
chirped  and  sang  in  the  woods  as  merrily  as 
ever. 

I  saw  the  white  flag  flying  on  the  breastworks. 
The  soldiers  and  sailors  saw  it,  and  cheered.  Gen- 


THE   SURRENDER.  189 

Sunday  Morning.  Scene  on  the  River  Entering  the  Vert. 

eral  Grant  had  moved  his  head-quarters  to  the 
steamboat  Uncle  Sam,  and,  as  I  happened  to  be  on 
board  that  boat,  I  saw  a  great  deal  that  took  place. 

The  gunboats,  and  all  the  steamboats,  fifty  or 
more,  began  to  move  up  the  river.  Dense  clouds 
of  smoke  rolled  up  from  the  tall  chimneys.  The 
great  wheels  plashed  the  sparkling  stream.  Flags 
were  flying  on  all  the  staffs.  The  army  began  its 
march  into  the  fort.  The  bands  played.  How 
grand  the  crash  of  the  drums  and  the  trumpets ! 
The  soldiers  marched  proudly.  The  columns 
were  winding  along  the  hills,  —  the  artillery,  the 
infantry,  the  cavalry,  with  all  their  banners  wav- 
ing, and  the  bright  sunshine  gleaming  and  glis- 
tening on  their  bayonets  !  They  entered  the  fort, 
and  planted  their  standards  on  the  embankments. 
The  gunboats  and  the  field  artillery  fired  a  grand 
salute.  From  the  steamboats,  from  the  hillside, 
from  the  fort,  and  the  forest  there  were  answer 
ing  shouts.  The  wounded  in  the  hospitals  forgot, 
for  the  moment,  that  they  were  torn  and  mangled, 
raised  themselves  on  their  beds  of  straw,  and 
mingled  their  feeble  cheers  in  the  universal  re- 
joicing ! 

Thirteen  thousand  men,  sixty-seven  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  fifteen  thousand  small  arms  were 
surrendered.  A  motley,  care-worn,  haggard,  anx- 
ious crowd  stood  at  the  lauding.  I  sprang  ashore, 
and  walked  through  the  ranks.  Some  were 


140  THE   SURRENDER. 


»ow  the  B«beU  looked.        A  Talk  with  the  PrUono*. 

standing,  some  lying  down,  taking  no  notice  of 
what  was  going  on  around  them.  They  were 
prisoners  of  war.  When  they  joined  the  army, 
they  probably  did  not  dream  that  they  would  be 
taken  prisoners.  They  were  to  be  victorious, 
and  capture  the  Yankees.  They  were  poor, 
ignorant  men.  Not  half  of  them  knew  how  to 
read  or  write.  They  had  been  deluded  by  their 
leaders,  —  the  slaveholders.  They  had  fought 
bravely,  but  they  had  been  defeated,  and  their 
generals  had  deserted  them.  No  wonder  they 
were  down-hearted. 

Their  clothes  were  of  all  colors.  Some  wore 
gray,  some  blue,  some  butternut-colored  clothes, 
—  a  dirty  brown.  They  were  very  ragged.  Some 
had  old  quilts  for  blankets,  others  faded  pieces 
of  carpeting,  others  strips  of  new  carpeting,  which 
they  had  taken  from  the  stores.  Some  had  caps, 
others  old  slouched  felt  hats,  and  others  nothing 
but  straw  hats  upon  their  heads. 

"  We  fought  well,  but  you  outnumbered  us," 
said  one. 

"  We  should  have  beaten  you  as  it  was,  if  it 
had  n't  been  for  your  gunboats,"  said  another. 

"  How  happened  it  that  General  Floyd  and 
General  Pillow  escaped,  and  left  you  ? "  I  asked. 

"  They  are  traitors.  I  would  shoot  the  scoun- 
drels, if  I  could  get  a  chance,"  said  a  fellow  in  • 
snuff-colored  coat,  clenching  his  fist. 


THE   8UBEENDEB.  141 

Vhat  they  said  about  the  War.  What  I  saw  In  the  T->wn. 

"  I  am  glad  the  fighting  is  over.  I  don't  want 
to  see  another  such  day  as  yesterday,"  said  a  Ten- 
nesseean,  who  was  lying  on  the  ground. 

"  What  will  General  Grant  do  with  us  ?  Will 
he  put  us  in  prison  ?  "  asked  one. 

"  That  will  depend  upon  how  you  behave.  If 
you  had  not  taken  up  arms  against  your  country, 
you  would  not  have  been  in  trouble  now." 

"  We  could  n't  help  it,  sir.  I  was  forced  into 
the  army,  and  I  am  glad  I  am  a  prisoner.  I 
sha'n't  have  to  fight  any  more,"  said  a  blue- 
eyed  young  man,  not  more  than  eighteen  years 
old. 

There  were  some  who  were  very  sullen  and 
sour,  and  there  were  others  who  did  not  care 
what  became  of  them. 

I  went  up  the  hill  into  the  town.  Nearly 
every  house  was  filled  with  the  dying  and  the 
dead.  The  shells  from  the  gunboats  had  crashed 
through  some  of  the  buildings.  The  soldiers  had 
cut  down  the  orchards  and  the  shade-trees,  and 
burned  the  fences.  All  was  desolation.  There 
were  sad  groups  around  the  camp-fires,  with  de- 
spair upon  their  countenances.  0  how  many  of 
them  thought  of  their  friends  far  away,  and  wished 
they  could  see  them  again  ! 

The  ground  was  strewed  with  their  guns,  c^r 
tridge-boxes,  belts,  and  knapsacks.  There  were 
bags  of  corn,  barrels  of  sugar,  hogsheads  of  mo- 


\y42  THE   SURRENDER. 

A.  VMt  to  the  fart. The  Scene  H  the  Rlfl^Ptto. 

lasses,  tierces  of  bacon,  broken  open  and  trodden 
into  the  mud. 

I  went  into  the  fort,  and  saw  where  the  great 
shells  from  the  gunboats  had  cut  through  the  em- 
bankments. There  were  piles  of  cartridges  beside 
the  cannon.  The  dead  were  lying  there,  torn, 
mangled,  rent.  Near  the  intrenchments,  where 
the  fight  had  been  fiercest,  there  were  pools  of 
blood.  The  Rebel  soldiers  were  breaking  the 
frozen  earth,  digging  burial-trenches,  and  bring- 
ing in  their  fallen  comrades  and  laying  them  side 
by  side,  to  their  last,  long,  silent  sleep.  I  looked 
down  the  slope  where  Lauman's  men  swept  over 
the  fallen  trees  in  their  terrible  charge ;  then  I 
walked  down  to  the  meadow,  and  looked  up  the 
height,  and  wondered  how  men  could  climb  over 
the  trees,  the  stumps,  the  rocks,  and  ascend  it 
through  such  a  storm.  The  dead  were  lying 
where  they  fell,  heroes  every  one  of  them!  It 
was  sad  to  think  that  so  many  noble  men  had 
fallen,  but  it  was  a  pleasure  to  know  that  they 
had  not  faltered.  They  had  done  their  duty.  If 
you  ever  visit  that  battle-field,  and  stand  upon 
that  slope,  you  will  feel  your  heart  swell  with 
gratitude  and  joy,  to  think  how  cheerfully  thev 
gave  their  lives  to  save  their  country,  that  you 
and  all  who  come  after  you  may  enjoy  peace  and 
prosperity  forever. 

How  bravely  they  fought!     There,  upon  th« 


THE   8UKKENDER.  148 


fte  Ninth  DUnota.  Haw  a  Soldier  of  the  Second  Iowa  Mt 

cold  ground,  lay  a  soldier  of  the  Ninth  Illinois. 
Early  in  the  action  of  Saturday  he  was  shot 
through  the  arm.  He  went  to  the  hospital  and 
had  it  bandaged,  and  returned  to  his  place  in 
the  regiment.  A  second  shot  passed  through 
his  thigh,  tearing  the  flesh  to  shreds. 

"  We  will  carry  you  to  the  hospital,"  said  two 
of  his  comrades. 

"  No,  you  stay  and  fight.  I  can  get  along 
alone."  He  took  off  his  bayonet,  used  his  gun 
for  a  crutch,  and  reached  the  hospital.  The 
surgeon  dressed  the  wound.  He  heard  the  roar 
of  battle.  His  soul  was  on  fire  to  be  there. 
He  hobbled  once  more  to  the  field,  and  went 
into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  lying  down,  be- 
cause he  could  not  stand.  He  fought  as  a  skir- 
misher. When  the  Rebels  advanced,  he  could 
not  retire  with  the  troops,  but  continued  to 
fight.  After  the  battle  he  was  found  dead  upon 
the  field,  six  bullets  having  passed  through  his 
body. 

One  brightreyed  little  fellow,  of  the  Second 
Iowa,  had  his  foot  crushed  by  a  cannon-shot. 
Two  of  his  comrades  carried  him  to  the  rear. 
An  officer  saw  that,  unless  the  blood  was  stopped, 
he  never  would  reach  the  hospital.  He  told  the 
men  to  tie  a  handkerchief  around  his  leg,  and 
put  snow  on  the  wound. 

"  0,  never  mind  the  foot,  Captain,"  said  th« 


144  THE  SUEEENDEB. 


The  two  Bharpshooten. 


brave  fellow.  "We  drove  the  Rebels  out,  and 
have  got  their  trench ;  that 's  the  most  I  care 
for ! "  The  soldiers  did  as  they  were  directed, 
and  his  life  was  saved. 

There  in  the  trenches  was  a  Rebel  soldier  with 
a  rifle-shot  through  his  head.  He  was  an  excel- 
lent marksman,  and  had  killed  or  wounded  sev- 
eral Union  officers.  One  of  Colonel  Birges's 
sharpshooters,  an  old  hunter,  who  had  killed 
many  bears  and  wolves,  crept  up  towards  the 
breastworks  to  try  his  hand  upon  the  Rebel. 
They  fired  at  each  other  again  and  again,  but 
both  were  shrewd  and  careful.  The  Rebel  raised 

his  hat  above  the  breastwork,  —  whi z !  The 

sharpshooter  out  in  the  bushes  had  put  a  bullet 
through  it.  "  Ha !  ha !  ha  ! "  laughed  the  Rebel, 
sending  his  own  bullet  into  the  little  puff  of  smoke 
down  in  the  ravine.  The  Rocky  Mountain  hunter 
was  as  still  as  a  mouse.  He  knew  that  the  Rebel 
had  outwitted  him,  and  expected  the  return  shot. 
It  was  aimed  a  little  too  high,  and  he  was  safe. 

"  You  cheated  me  that  time,  but  I  will  be  even 
with  you  yet,"  said  the  sharpshooter,  whirling  upon 
his  back,  and  loading  his  rifle  and  whirling  back 
again.  He  rested  his  rifle  upon  the  ground,  aimed 
it,  and  lay  with  his  eye  along  the  barrel,  his  finger 
on  the  trigger.  Five  minutes  passed.  "  I  reckon 
that  that  last  shot  fixed  him,  said  the  Rebel.  "  He 
has  n't  moved  this  five  minutes." 


THE  SUBBENDEB.  145 

'  How  the  gharpri>ooten  iflen^ed  »  Battery.      Attempt  to  kffi  M*>or  Mudd. 

He  raised  his  head,  peeped  over  the  embank- 
ment, and  fell  back  lifeless.  The  unerring  rifle- 
bullet  had  passed  through  his  head. 

If  you  could  go  over  the  battle-ground  with  one 
of  those  sharpshooters,  he  would  show  you  a  little 
clump  of  bushes,  and  some  stumps,  where  three 
or  four  of  them  lay  on  Saturday,  in  front  of  one 
of  the  Rebel  batteries,  and  picked  off  the  gunners. 
Two  or  three  times  the  artillerymen  tried  to  drive 
them  out  with  shells ;  but  they  lay  close  upon  the 
ground,  and  the  shells  did  not  touch  them.  The 
artillerymen  were  obliged  to  cease  firing,  and  re- 
treat out  of  reach  of  the  deadly  bullets. 

Some  of  the  Rebel  officers  took  their  surrender 
very  much  to  heart.  They  were  proud,  insolent, 
and  defiant.  Their  surrender  was  unconditional, 
and  they  thought  it  very  hard  to  give  up  their 
swords  and  pistols.  One  of  them  fired  a  pistol  at 
Major  Mudd,  of  the  Second  Illinois,  wounding  him 
in  the  back.  I  was  very  well  acquainted  with  the 
Major.  He  lived  in  St.  Louis,  and  had  been  from 
the  beginning  an  ardent  friend  of  the  Union.  He 
had  hunted  the  guerillas  in  Missouri,  and  had 
fought  bravely  at  Wilson's  Creek.  It  is  quite 
likely  he  was  shot  by  an  old  enemy.  General 
Grant  at  once  issued  orders  that  all  the  Rebel 
officers  should  be  disarmed.  General  Buckner, 
in  insolent  tones,  said  to  General  Grant  that  it 
was  barbarous,  inhuman,  brutal,  unchivalroua. 


146  THE  SURRENDER, 


General  Grant's  plain  Talk  to  Qtoen  Bockner. 


and  at  variance  with  the  rules  of  civilized  war- 
fare !  General  Grant  replied :  — 

"  You  have  dared  to  come  here  to  complain  of 
my  acts,  without  the  right  to  make  an  objection. 
You  do  not  appear  to  remember  that  your  surren- 
der was  unconditional.  Yet,  if  we  compare  the 
acts  of  the  different  armies  in  this  war,  how  will 
yours  bear  inspection  ?  You  have  cowardly  shot 
my  officers  in  cold  blood.  As  I  rode  over  the 
field,  I  saw  the  dead  of  my  army  brutally  insulted 
by  your  men,  their  clothing  stripped  off  of  them, 
and  their  bodies  exposed,  without  the  slightest  re- 
gard for  common  decency.  Humanity  has  seldom 
marked  your  course  whenever  our  men  have  been 
unfortunate  enough  to  fall  into  your  hands.  At 
Belmont  your  authorities  disregarded  all  the  usages 
of  civilized  warfare.  My  officers  were  crowded  into 
cotton-pens  with  my  brave  soldiers,  and  then  thrust 
into  prison,  while  your  officers  were  permitted  to 
enjoy  their  parole,  and  live  at  the  hotel  in  Cairo. 
Your  men  are  given  the  same  fare  as  my  own, 
and  your  wounded  receive  our  best  attention. 
These  are  incontrovertible  facts.  I  have  simply 
taken  the  precaution  to  disarm  your  officers  and 
men,  because  necessity  compelled  me  to  protect 
my  own  from  assassination." 

General  Buckner  had  no  reply  to  make.  He 
hung  his  head  in  shame  at  the  rebuke. 

Major  Mudd,  though  severely  wounded,  recov 


THE   SUBRENDER.  147 


Major  Madd'g  Story.        The  Lon  of  Donelson  a  tevere  Blow  to  the  Kebeb. 


ered,  but  lost  his  life  in  another  battle.  One  day, 
while  riding  with  him  in  Missouri,  he  told  me  a 
very  good  story.  He  said  he  was  once  riding  in 
the  cars,  and  that  a  very  inquisitive  man  sat  by 
his  side.  A  few  rods  from  every  road-crossing  the 
railroad  company  had  put  up  boards  with  the  leir 
ters  W.  R.  upon  them. 

"  What  be  them  for  ?  "  asked  the  man. 

"  Those  are  directions  to  the  engineer  to  blow 
the  whistle  and  ring  the  bell,  that  people  who  may 
be  on  the  carriage-road  may  look  out  and  not  get 
Fun  over  by  the  train,"  the  Major  answered. 

"  0  yes,  I  see." 

The  man  sat  in  silence  awhile,  with  his  lips 
working  as  if  he  was  trying  to  spell. 

"  Well,  Major,"  he  said  at  last,  "  it  may  be  as 
you  say.  I  know  that  w-r-i-n-g  spells  ring,  but 
for  the  life  of  me  I  don't  see  how  you  can  get  an 
R  into  whistle  ! " 

The  fall  of  Fort  Donelson  was  a  severe  blow  to 
the  Rebels.  It  had  a  great  effect.  It  was  the 
first  great  victory  of  the  Union  troops.  It  opened 
all  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Confederacy.  It 
compelled  General  Johnston  to  retreat  from  Bowl- 
ing Green,  and  also  compelled  the  evacuation  of 
Columbus  and  all  Central  Tennessee.  Nashville, 
the  capital  of  that  State,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Union  troops. 

On  Sunday  morning  the  Rebels  at  Nashville 


148  THE   SUBBENDEB. 


The  Newspapers.  The  People  JjtnUnt 


were  in  good  spirits.  General  Pillow  had  tele- 
graphed on  Saturday  noon,  as  you  remember, 
"  On  the  honor  of  a  soldier,  the  day  is  ours." 
The  citizens  shouted  over  it. 

One  sober  citizen  said :  "  I  never  liked  Pillow, 
but  I  forgive  him  now.  He  is  the  man  for  the 
occasion." 

Another,  who  had  been  Governor  of  the  State, 
—  a  wicked,  profane  man,  —  said  :  "  It  is  first- 
rate  news.  Pillow  is  giving  the  Yankees  hell,  and 
rubbing  it  in !  "  *  It  is  a  vile  sentence,  and  I 
would  not  quote  it,  were  it  not  that  you  might 
have  a  true  picture  from  Rebel  sources. 

The  newspapers  put  out  bulletins  :  — 

"  ENEMY  RETREATING  !  GLORIOUS  RESULT  ! !  OUB 
BOYS  FOLLOWING  AND  PEPPERING  THEIR  REAR !  ! 
A  COMPLETE  VICTORY  !  " 

The  bell-ringers  rang  jubilant  peals,  and  the 
citizens  shook  hands  over  the  good  news  as  they 
went  to  church.  Services  had  hardly  com- 
menced, when  a  horseman  dashed  through  the 
streets,  covered  with  mud,  and  almost  breathless 
from  hard  riding,  shouting,  "  Fort  Donelson  has 
surrendered,  and  the  Yankees  are  coming !  " 

The  people  poured  out  from  the  churches  and 
their  houses  into  the  street.  Such  hurrying  to 
and  fro  was  never  seen.  Men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren ran  here  and  there,  not  knowing  what  to  do, 

*  Mobile  Tribune. 


THE   SURRENDER.  149 


News  of  the  Surrender.  General  Floyd's  Speech. 

imagining  that  the  Yankees  would  murder  them. 
They  began  to  pack  their  goods.  Carts,  wagons, 
carriages,  drays,  wheelbarrows, — all  were  loaded. 
Strong  men  were  pale  with  fear,  women  wrung 
their  hands,  and  children  cried. 

Before  noon  Generals  Floyd  and  Pillow  arrived 
011  steamboats.  The  people  crowded  round  the 
renegade  officers,  and  called  for  a  speech.  Gen- 
eral Floyd  went  out  upon  the  balcony  of  the  hotel, 
and  said :  — 

"  Fellow-Citizens :  This  is  not  the  time  for 
speaking,  but  for  action.  It  is  a  time  when  every 
man  should  enlist  for  the  war.  Not  a  day  is  to 
be  lost.  We  had  only  ten  thousand  effective  men, 
who  fought  four  days  and  nights  against  forty 
thousand  of  the  enemy.  But  nature  could  hold 
out  no  longer.  The  men  required  rest,  and  hav- 
ing lost  one  third  of  my  gallant  force  I  was  com- 
pelled to  retire.  We  have  left  a  thousand  of  the 
enemy  dead  on  the  field.  General  Johnston  has 
not  slept  a  wink  for  three  nights ;  he  is  all  worn 
out,  but  he  is  acting  wisely.  He  is  going  to  entice 
the  Yankees  into  the  mountain  gaps,  away  from 
the  rivers  and  the  gunboats,  and  then  drive  them 
back,  and  carry  the  war  into  the  enemy's  coun- 
try."* 

General  Johnston's  army,  retreating  from  Bowl- 
ing Green,  began  to  pass  through  the  city.  The 

•  Lynchburg  Republican. 


150  THE   SURRENDER. 


The  Flight  from  the  City.     The  poor  People  help  themselves  to  Rebel  Btorem. 

soldiers  did  not  stop,  but  passed  on  towards  the 
South.  The  people  had  thought  that  General 
Johnston  would  defend  the  place,  the  capital  of 
the  State ;  but  when  they  saw  that  the  troops  were 
retreating,  they  recklessly  abandoned  their  homes. 
It  was  a  wild  night  in  Nashville.  The  Rebels 
had  two  gunboats  nearly  completed,  which  were 
set  on  fire.  The  Rebel  storehouses  were  thrown 
open  to  the  poor  people,  who  rushed  pell-mell 
to  help  themselves  to  pork,  flour,  molasses,  and 
sugar.  A  great  deal  was  destroyed.  After  John- 
ston's army  had  crossed  the  river,  the  beautiful 
and  costly  wire  suspension  bridge  which  spanned 
it  was  cut  down.  It  cost  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  belonged  to  the  daughters 
of  the  Rebel  General  Zollicoffer,  who  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Mill  Springs  in  Kentucky.  The 
Rebel  officers  undertook  to  carry  off  the  immense 
supplies  of  food  which  had  been  accumulated ; 
but  in  the  panic,  barrels  of  meat  and  flour,  sacks 
of  coffee,  hogsheads  of  sugar  were  rolled  into  the 
streets  and  trampled  into  the  mire.  Millions  of 
dollars'  worth  were  lost  to  the  Confederacy.  The 
farmers  in  the  country  feared  that  they  would 
lose  their  slaves,  and  from  all  the  section  round 
they  hurried  the  poor  creatures  towards  the 
South,  hoping  to  find  a  place  where  they  would 
be  secure. 
Throughout  the  South  there  was  gloom  and 


THE  SURRENDER.  151 

The  Feeling  throughout  the  Countr/. 

despondenov.  But  all  over  the  North  there  was 
great  rejoicing.  Everybody  praised  the  brave 
soldiers  who  had  fought  so  nobly.  There  were 
public  meetings,  speeches,  processions,  illumina- 
tions and  bonfires,  and  devout  thanksgivings  to 
God. 

The  deeds  of  the  brave  men  of  the  West  were 
praised  in  poetry  and  song.  Some  stanzas  were 
published  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  in  Boston, 
which  are  so  beautiful  that  I  think  you  will  thank 
me  for  quoting  them. 


"  O  gales  that  dash  the  Atlantic's  swell 

Along  oar  rocky  shores, 
Whose  thunders  diapason  well 
New  England's  glad  hurrahs, 

"  Bear  to  the  prairies  of  the  West 

The  echoes  of  our  joy, 
The  prayer  that  springs  in  every  breast,  — 
'  God  bless  thee,  Illinois ! ' 

•  O  awful  hours,  when  grape  and  shell 
Tore  through  the  unflinching  line ! 
1  Stand  firm  !  remove  the  men  who  fell  I 
Close  up,  and  wait  the  sign.' 

It  came  at  hut,  •  Now,  lads,  the  steel ! ' 
The  rushing  hosts  deploy  ; 
Charge,  boys  ! '  —  the  broken  traitors  reel,  « 
Huzza  for  Ulinoui  1 


162  THE  SUBBENDER. 


The  feeling  throughout  the  Country. 


«  In  Tain  thy  rampart,  Donelaon, 

The  living  torrent  bars, 
It  leaps  the  wall,  the  fort  is  won, 
Up  go  the  Stripes  and  Stan. 

«  Thy  proudest  mother's  eyelids  fill, 

As  dares  her  gallant  boy, 
And  Plymouth  Bock  and  Banker  J 
Team  to  thee,  Blinov." 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE    ARMY    AT    PITT8BUKO    LANDING. 


Shiloh  Chore*. 


ON  the  6th  and  7th  of  April,  1862,  one  of  the 
greatest  battles  of  the  war  was  fought  near 
Pittsburg  Landing  in  Tennessee,  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Tennessee  River,  about  twelve  miles  from 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  State  of  Mississippi. 
The  Rebels  call  it  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  because  it 
was  fought  near  Shiloh  Church.  I  did  not  see 
the  terrible  contest,  but  I  reached  the  place  soon 
after  the  fight,  in  season  to  see  the  guns,  cannon, 
wagons,  knapsacks,  cartridge-boxes,  which  were 
scattered  over  the  ground,  and  the  newly-made 
graves  where  the  dead  had  just  been  buried.  I 
was  in  camp  upon  the  field  several  weeks,  and 
saw  the  woods,  the  plains,  hills,  ravines.  Officers 
and  men  who  were  in  the  fight  pointed  out  the 
places  where  they  stood,  showed  me  where  the 
Rebels  advanced,  where  their  batteries  were,  how 
they  advanced  and  retreated,  how  the  tide  of  vic- 
tory ebbed  and  flowed.  Having  been  so  early 
on  the  ground,  and  having  listened  to  the  stories 
of  a  great  many  persons,  I  shall  try  to  give  you 


164  THE   ARMY   AT  PITTSBURG   LANDING. 

Conflicting  Stories.  What  took  Place  after  the  Capture  of  Doneteoa. 

a  correct  account.  It  will  be  a  difficult  task, 
however,  for  the  stories  arc  conflicting.  No  two 
persons  see  a  battle  alike  ;  each  has  his  own 
stand-point.  He  sees  what  takes  place  around 
him.  No  other  one  will  tell  a  story  like  his. 
Men  have  different  temperaments.  One  is  ex- 
cited, and  another  is  cool  and  collected.  Men  live 
fast  in  battle.  Every  nerve  is  excited,  every 
sense  intensified,  and  it  is  only  by  taking  the 
accounts  of  different  observers  that  an  accurate 
view  can  be  obtained. 

After  the  capture  of  Fort  Donelson,  you  remem 
her  that  General  Johnston  retreated  through 
Nashville  towards  the  South.  A  few  days  later 
the  Rebels  evacuated  Columbus  on  the  Mississippi. 
They  were  obliged  to  concentrate  their  forces. 
They  saw  that  Memphis  would  be  the  next  point 
of  attack,  and  they  must  defend  it.  All  of  their 
energies  were  aroused.  The  defeat  of  the  Union 
army  at  Bull  Run,  you  remember,  caused  a  great 
uprising  of  the  North,  and  so  the  fall  of  Donelson 
stirred  the  people  of  the  South. 

If  you  look  at  the  map  of  Tennessee,  you  will 
notice,  about  twenty  miles  from  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, the  town  of  Corinth.  It  is  at  the  junction 
of  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  and  the  Mobile 
and  Ohio  Railroads,  which  made  it  an  important 
place  to  the  Rebels. 

"Corinth  must  be  defended,"  said  the  Memphis 
newspapers. 


THE   ARMY   AT   PITTSBUBG  LANDING. 


166 


aoremor  Harris's  Proclamation. 


General  Beauregard  sent  W«rt. 


Governor  Harris  of  Tennessee  issued  a  proo- 
lamation  calling  upon  the  people  to  enlist. 


PITMBUKO  LANDDIO  AJTO  Vicnrrrr. 

"  As  Governor  of  your  State,  and  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  its  army,  I  call  upon  every  able-bodied 
man  of  the  State,  without  regard  to  age,  to  enlist 
in  its  service.  I  command  him  who  can  obtain  a 
weapon  to  march  with  our  armies.  I  ask  him 
who  can  repair  or  forge  an  arm  to  make  it  ready 
at  once  for  the  soldier." 

General  Beauregard  was  sent  in  great  haste  to 
the  West  by  Jeff  Davis,  who  hoped  that  the  fame 
and  glory  which  he  had  won  by  attacking  Fort 
Sumter  and  at  Bull  RUJX  would  rouse  the  people 


156  THE   ARMY   AT   PITTSBURu   LANDING. 

The  Southern  Army.    Troops  from  all  Quarters.    Old  Men  and  Boys  enlUt 

of  the  Southwest  and  save  the  failing  fortunes  of 
the  Confederacy. 

To  Corinth  came  the  flower  of  the  Southern 
army.  All  other  points  were  weakened  to  save 
Corinth.  From  Pensacola  came  General  Bragg 
and  ten  thousand  Alabamians,  who  had  watched 
for  many  months  the  little  frowning  fortress  on 
Santa  Rosa  Island.  The  troops  which  had  been 
at  Mobile  to  resist  the  landing  of  General  Butler 
from  Ship  Island  were  hastened  north  upon  the 
trains  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  road.  Genera) 
Beauregard  called  upon  the  Governors  of  Tenner 
see,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  and  Louisiana  for  addi- 
tional troops. 

General  Polk,  who  had  been  a  bishop  before 
the  war,  sent  down  two  divisions  from  Columbus 
on  the  Mississippi.  General  Johnston  with  his 
retreating  army  hastened  on,  and  thus  all  the 
Rebel  troops  in  the  Southwestern  States  were 
mustered  at  Corinth. 

The  call  to  take  up  arms  was  responded  to  ev- 
erywhere; old  men  and  boys  came  trooping  into 
the  place.  They  came  from  Texas,  Arkansas, 
and  Missouri.  Beauregard  labored  with  unre- 
mitting energy  to  create  an  army  which  would  be 
powerful  enough  to  drive  back  the  Union  troops, 
recover  Tennessee,  and  invade  Kentucky. 

General  Grant,  after  the  capture  of  Donelson, 
moved  his  army,  on  steamboats,  down  the  Cumber* 


THE   ARMY   AT   PITTSBUBO   LANDING.  157 

Grant  at  Savannah.     General  Duett's  Movement*.    Beauregard't  PUa 

land  and  up  the  Tennessee,  to  Pittsburg  landing. 
He  made  his  head-quarters  at  Savannah,  a  small 
town  ten  miles  below  Pittsburg  Landing,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river. 

General  Buell,  who  had  followed  General  John 
ston  through  Nashville  with  the  army  of  the  Ohio, 
was  slowly  making  his  way  across  the  country  to 
join  General  Grant.  The  Rebel  generals  had 
the  railroads,  by  which  they  could  rapidly  con 
centrate  their  troops,  and  they  determined  to  at 
tack  General  Grant  at  Pittsburg,  with  their  supe 
rior  force,  before  General  Buell  could  join  him. 
Beauregard  had  his  pickets  within  four  miles  of 
General  Grant's  force,  and  he  could  move  his 
entire  army  within  striking  distance  before  Gen- 
eral Grant  would  know  of  his  danger.  He  calcu- 
lated that  he  could  annihilate  General  Grant, 
drive  him  into  the  river,  or  force  him  to  surren- 
der, capture  all  of  his  cannon,  wagons,  ammuni- 
tion, provisions,  steamboats,  —  everything,  —  by  a 
sudden  stroke.  If  he  succeeded,  he  could  then 
move  against  General  Buell,  destroy  his  army, 
and  not  only  recover  all  that  had  been  lost,  but 
he  would  also  redeem  Kentucky  and  invade  Ohio, 
Indiana,  and  Illinois. 

All  but  one  division  of  General  Grant's  army 
was  at  Pittsburg.  Two  miles  above  the  Landing 
the  river  begins  to  make  its  great  eastern  bend- 
Lick  Creek  comes  in  from  the  west,  at  the  hend. 


158  THE   ARMY   AT   PITTSBUKG   LANDING. 

Location  of  General  Grant's  Army.  The  Country.  The  Boadt. 

Three  miles  below  Pittsburg  is  Snake  Creek, 
which  also  comes  in  from  the  west.  Five  miles 
further  down  is  Crump's  Landing.  General 
Lewis  Wallace's  division  was  near  Crump's,  but 
the  other  divisions  were  between  the  two  creeks. 
The  banks  of  the  river  are  seventy-five  feet  high, 
and  the  country  is  a  succession  of  wooded  hills, 
with  numerous  ravines.  There  are  a  few  clear- 
ings and  farm-houses,  but  it  is  nearly  all  forest,  — 
tall  oak-trees,  with  here  and  there  thickets  of  un- 
derbrush. The  farmers  cultivate  a  little  corn, 
cotton,  and  tobacco.  The  country  has  been  set- 
tled many  years,  but  is  almost  as  wild  as  when 
the  Indians  possessed  the  land. 

Pittsburg  is  the  nearest  point  to  Corinth  on  the 
river.  The  road  from  the  Landing  winds  up  the 
bank,  passes  along  the  edge  of  a  deep  ravine,  and 
leads  southwest.  As  you  go  up  the  road,  you 
come  to  a  log-cabin  about  a  mile  from  the  river. 
There  is  a  peach-orchard  near  by.  There  the 
roads  fork.  The  left-hand  road  takes  you  to 
Hamburg,  the  middle  one  is  the  Ridge  road  to 
Corinth,  and  the  third  is  the  road  to  Shiloh 
Church,  called  also  the  Lower  Corinth  road. 
There  are  other  openings  in  the  woods,  —  old 
cotton-fields.  Three  miles  out  from  the  river 
you  come  to  Shiloh  Church.  A  clear  brook, 
which  is  fed  by  springs,  gurgles  over  a  sandy 
bed,  close  by  the  church.  You  fill  your  cant- 


THE   ARMY   AT   PITTSBUBG    LANDING  168 

The  Church.  The  Battle- Ground. 

teen,  and  find  it  excellent  water.  On  Sunday 
noons,  the  people  who  come  to  church  sit  down 
beneath  the  grand  old  trees,  eat  their  dinners, 
and  drink  from  the  brook. 

It  is  not  such  a  church  as  you  see  in  your  own 
Tillage.  It  has  no  tall  steeple  or  tapering  spire, 
no  deep-toned  bell,  no  organ,  no  singing-seats  or 
gallery,  no  pews  or  carpeted  aisles.  It  is  built  of 
logs.  It  was  chinked  with  clay  years  ago,  but  the 
rains  have  washed  it  out.  You  can  thrust  your 
hand  between  the  cracks.  It  is  thirty  or  forty 
feet  square.  It  has  places  for  windows,  but  there 
are  no  sashes,  and  of  course  no  glass.  As  you 
stand  within,  you  can  see  up  to  the  roof,  sup- 
ported by  hewn  rafters,  and  covered  with  split 
shingles,  which  shake  and  rattle  when  the  wind 
blows.  It  is  the  best-ventilated  church  you  ever 
saw.  It  has  no  pews,  but  only  rough  seats  for 
the  congregation.  A  great  many  of  the  churches 
of  this  section  of  the  country  are  no  better  than 
this.  Slavery  does  not  build  neat  churches  and 
school -houses,  as  a  general  thing.  Around  this 
church  the  battle  raged  fearfully. 

Not  far  from  the  church,  a  road  leads  north- 
east towards  Crump's  Landing,  and  another  north- 
west towards  the  town  of  Purdy.  By  the  church, 
along  the  road  leading  down  to  the  Landing,  at 
the  peach-orchard,  and  in  the  ravines  yoii  find  th« 
battle-ground. 


160  THE   AKMY   AT   PITTSBURG  LANDING. 

The  Rebel  Generals.     The  Rebel  Army.     Why  they  hastened  the  Attack. 

General  Johnston  was  senior  commander  of  the 
Rebel  army.  He  had  Beauregard,  Bragg,  Polk, 
Hardee,  Cheatham,  —  all  Major-Generals,  who  had 
been  educated  at  West  Point,  at  the  expense  of 
the  United  States.  They  were  considered  to  be 
the  ablest  generals  in  the  Rebel  service.  Gen- 
eral Breckenridge  was  there.  He  was  Vice-Presi- 
dent under  Buchanan,  and  was  but  a  few  weeks 
out  of  his  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 
He  was,  you  remember,  the  slaveholders'  candi- 
date for  President  in  1860.  Quite  likely  he  felt 
very  sour  against  the  Northern  people,  because 
he  was  not  elected  President. 

The  Rebel  army  numbered  between  forty  and 
fifty  thousand  men.  General  Johnston  worked  with 
all  his  might  to  organize  into  brigades  the  troops 
which  were  flocking  in  from  all  quarters.  It  was 
of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  attack  should 
be  made  before  General  Buell  joined  General 
Grant.  The  united  and  concentrated  forces  of 
Beauregard,  Bragg,  and  Johnston  outnumbered 
Grant's  army  by  fifteen  thousand.  General  Van 
Dora,  with  thirty  thousand  men,  was  expected 
from  Arkansas.  They  were  to  come  by  steamboat 
to  Memphis,  and  were  to  be  transported  to  Corinth 
by  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad ;  but  Van 
Dora  was  behind  time,  and,  unless  the  attack  was 
made  at  once,  it  would  be  too  late,  for  the  com- 
bined armies  of  Grant  and  Buell  would  outiium- 


THE  ABMY  AT   iTTTSBUBQ  LANDING.  161 

lf»rch  of  the  Bebeli. A  bio-Mom.  The  Rebel*  delayed. 

ber  the  Rebels.  At  midnight,  on  the  1st  of  April, 
Johnston  learned  that  General  BuelTs  advance 
divisions  were  within  two  or  three  days'  march  of 
Savannah.  He  immediately  issued  his  orders  to 
his  corps  commanders,  directing  the  routes  which 
each  was  to  take  in  advancing  towards  Pittsburg. 

The  troops  began  their  march  on  Thursday 
morning.  They  were  in  excellent  spirits.  They 
cheered,  swung  their  hats,  and  marched  with 
great  enthusiasm.  The  Rebel  officers,  who  knew 
the  situation,  the  ground  where  General  Grant 
was  encamped,  believed  that  his  army  would  be 
annihilated.  They  assured  the  troops  it  would 
be  a  great  and  glorious  victory. 

The  distance  was  only  eighteen  miles,  and  Gen- 
eral Johnston  intended  to  strike  the  blow  at  day- 
light on  Saturday  morning,  but  it  rained  hard 
Friday  night,  and  the  roads  in  the  morning  were 
so  muddy  that  the  artillery  could  not  move.  It 
was  late  Saturday  afternoon  before  his  army  was 
in  position.  It  was  too  near  night  to  make  the 
attack.  He  examined  the  ground,  distributed 
ammunition,  posted  the  artillery,  gave  the  men 
extra  rations,  and  waited  for  Sunday  morning. 

The  Union  army  rested  in  security.  No  in- 
trenchments  were  thrown  up  on  the  hills  and 
along  the  ridges.  No  precautions  were  taken 
against  surprise.  The  officers  and  soldiers  did 
not  dream  of  being  attacked.  They  were 


162  THE   AKMY   AT   PITTSBUBG   LANDING. 


OtenenJ  Grant  not  expecting  an  Attack.      Picket*  fired  at.      8k innUhinj. 

pared.  The  divisions  were  not  in  order  for  battle. 
They  were  preparing  to  advance  upon  Corinth, 
and  were  to  march  when  General  Halleck,  who 
was  at  St.  Louis,  commanding  the  department, 
should  take  the  field. 

On  the  evening  of  Friday  the  pickets  on  the 
Corinth  road,  two  miles  out  from  Shiloh  Church, 
were  fired  upon.  A  body  of  Rebels  rushed 
through  the  woods,  and  captured  several  officer? 
and  men.  The  Seventieth,  Seventy-second,  and 
Forty-eighth  Ohio,  of  General  Sherman's  division, 
were  sent  out  upon  a  reconnoissance.  They  camo 
upon  a  couple  of  Rebel  regiments,  and,  after  P 
sharp  action,  drove  them  back  to  a  Rebel  battery, 
losing  three  or  four  prisoners  and  taking  sixteen. 
General  Lewis  Wallace  ordered  out  his  division, 
and  moved  up  from  Crump's  Landing  a  mile  o; 
two,  and  the  troops  stood  under  arms  in  the  rain, 
that  poured  in  torrents  through  the  night,  to  be 
ready  for  an  attack  from  that  direction  ;  but  noth- 
ing came  of  it.  There  was  more  skirmishing  os 
Saturday,  —  a  continual  firing  along  the  picket 
lines.  All  supposed  that  the  Rebels  were  making 
a  reconnoissance.  No  one  thought  that  one  of 
the  greatest  battles  of  the  war  was  close  at  hand 
General  Grant  went  down  the  river  to  Savanna!) 
on  Saturday  night.  The  troops  dried  their  clothe* 
in  the  sun,  cooked  their  suppers,  told  their  even- 
ing stories,  and  put  out  their  lights  at  tattoo,  as 
usual. 


THE  ARMY  AT  PITTSBURG  LANDING.  163 

The  DiviiioiM  of  General  Grant  In  Camp. 

To  get  at  the  position  of  General  Grant's  army, 
let  us  start  from  Pittsbnrg  Landing.  It  is  a  very 
busy  place  at  the  Landing.  Forty  or  fifty  steam- 
boats are  there,  and  hundreds  of  men  are  rolling 
out  barrels  of  sugar,  bacon,  pork,  beef,  boxes  of 
bread,  bundles  of  hay,  and  thousands  of  sacks 
of  corn.  There  are  several  hundred  wagons 
waiting  to  transport  the  supplies  to  the  troops. 
A  long  train  winds  up  the  hill  towards  the  west. 

Ascending  the  hill,  you  come  to  the  forks  of 
the  roads.  The  right-hand  road  leads  to  Crump's 
Landing.  You  see  General  Smith's  old  division, 
which  took  the  rifle-pits  at  Donelson,  on  the  right- 
hand  side  of  the  road  in  the  woods.  It  is  com- 
manded now  by  W.  H.  L.  Wallace,  who  has  been 
made  a  Brigadier-General  for  his  heroism  at 
Donelson.  There  have  been  many  changes  of 
commanders  since  that  battle.  Colonels  who 
commanded  regiments  there  are  now  brigade 
commanders. 

Keeping  along  the  Shiloh  road  a  few  rods, 
you  come  to  the  road  which  leads  to  Hamburg. 
Instead  of  turning  up  that,  you  keep  on  a  little 
farther  to  the  Ridge  road,  leading  to  Corinth. 
General  Prentiss's  division  is  on  that  road,  two 
miles  out,  towards  the  southwest.  Instead  of 
taking  that  road,  you  still  keep  on  the  right-hand 
one,  travelling  nearly  west  all  the  while,  and  you 
come  to  McClernand's  division,  which  is  encamped 


164  THE   ABMY   AT  PITTSBUBG  LANDING. 

Sherman'*  and  McClernand'i  DivfcloM  In  a  bad  Position.    Btoart'i  Brigade^ 

in  a  long  line  on  both  sides  of  the  road.  Here 
you  see  Dresser's,  Taylor's,  Schwartz's,  and  McAl- 
lister's batteries,  and  all  those  regiments  which 
fought  so  determinedly  at  Donelson.  They  face 
northwest.  Their  line  is  a  little  east  of  the 
church. 

Passing  over  to  the  church,  you  see  that  a 
number  of  roads  centre  there,  —  one  coming  in 
from  the  northwest,  which  will  take  you  to 
Purdy ;  one  from  the  northeast,  which  will  carry 
you  to  Crump's  Landing;  the  road  up  which 
you  have  travelled  from  Pittsburg  Landing ;  one 
from  the  southeast,  which  will  take  you  to  Ham- 
burg ;  and  one  from  the  southwest,  which  is  the 
lower  road  to  Corinth. 

You  see,  close  by  the  church,  on  both  sides  of 
this  lower  road  to  Corinth,  General  Sherman's 
division,  not  facing  northwest,  but  nearly  south. 
McClernand's  left  and  Sherman's  left  are  close 
together.  They  form  the  two  sides  of  a  triangle, 
the  angle  being  at  the  left  wings.  They  are  in  a 
very  bad  position  to  be  attacked. 

Take  the  Hamburg  road  now,  and  go  southeast 
two  miles  and  you  come  to  the  crossing  of  the 
Ridge  road  to  Corinth,  where  you  will  find  Gen- 
eral Prentiss's  division,  before  mentioned.  Keep- 
ing on,  you  come  to  Lick  Creek.  It  has  high, 
steep  banks.  It  is  fordable  at  this  point,  and 
Colonel  Stuart's  brigade  of  Sherman's  division  i» 


THE   ARMY   AT   PITTSBURG   LANDING.  165 

Picket*  not  far  enough  oat.  The  Commander-ln-Chief  absent. 

there,  guarding  the  crossing.  The  brook  which 
gurgles  past  the  church  empties  into  the  creek. 
You  see  that  Prentiss's  entire  division,  and  the 
left  wing  of  McClernand's,  is  between  Stuart's 
brigade  and  the  rest  of  Sherman's  division. 
There  are  detached  regiments  encamped  in  the 
woods  near  the  Landing,  which  have  just  arrived, 
and  have  not  been  brigaded.  There  are  also 
two  regiments  of  cavalry  in  rear  of  these  lines. 
There  are  several  pieces  of  siege  artillery  on  the 
top  of  the  hill  near  the  Landing,  but  there  are  no 
artillerists  or  gunners  to  serve  them. 

You  see  that  the  army  does  not  expect  to  be 
attacked.  The  cavalry  ought  to  be  out  six  or  eight 
miles  on  picket;  but  they  are  here,  the  horses 
quietly  eating  their  oats.  The  infantry  pickets 
ought  to  be  out  three  or  four  miles,  but  they  are 
not  a  mile  and  a  half  advanced  from  the  camp. 
The  army  is  in  a  bad  position  to  resist  a  sudden 
attack  from  a  superior  force.  McClernand  ought 
not  to  be  at  right  angles  with  Sherman,  Stuart 
ought  not  to  be  separated  from  his  division  by 
Prentiss,  and  General  Lewis  Wallace  is  too  far 
away  to  render  prompt  assistance.  Besides,  Gen- 
eral Grant  is  absent,  and  there  is  no  commander- 
in-chief  on  the  field.  You  wonder  that  no  prepa- 
rations have  been  make  to  resist  an  attack,  no 
breastworks  thrown  up,  no  proper  disposition  of 
the  !brces,  no  extended  reconnoissances  by  the 


166  THE  ARMY  AT   PITTSBUBG   LANDING. 


The  Rebel  Plan  of  Attack.         General  Hardee.         General  Bragg1  a  Line. 

cavalry,  and  that,  after  the  skirmishing  on  Friday 
and  Saturday,  all  hands  should  lie  down  so  quietly 
in  their  tents  on  Saturday  night.  They  did  not 
dream  that  fifty  thousand  Rebels  were  ready  to 
strike  them  at  daybreak. 

General  Johnston's  plan  of  attack  was  submit- 
ted to  his  corps  commanders  and  approved  by 
them.  It  was  to  hurl  the  entire  army  upon 
Prentiss  and  Sherman.  He  had  four  lines  of 
troops,  extending  from  Lick  Creek  on  the  right  to 
the  southern  branch  of  Snake  Creek  on  the  left, 
a  distance  of  about  two  miles  and  a  half. 

The  front  line  was  composed  of  Major-General 
Hardee's  entire  corps,  with  General  Gladden's 
brigade  of  Bragg's  corps  added  on  the  right.  The 
artillery  was  placed  in  front,  followed  closely  by 
the  infantry.  Squadrons  of  cavalry  were  thrown 
out  on  both  wings  to  sweep  the  woods  and  drive 
in  the  Union  pickets. 

About  five  hundred  yards  in  rear  of  Hardee 
was  the  second  line,  Bragg's  corps  in  the  same 
order  as  Hardee's.  Eight  hundred  yards  in  rear 
of  Bragg  was  General  Polk,  his  left  wing  sup- 
ported by  cavalry,  his  batteries  in  position  to 
advance  at  a  moment's  notice.  The  reserve, 
under  General  Breckenridge,  followed  close  upon 
Polk.  Breckenridge's  and  Folk's  corps  were  both 
reckoned  as  reserves.  They  had  instructions  to 
act  as  they  thought  best.  There  were  from  ten 
to  twelve  thousand  men  in  each  line 


THE   ARMY   AT    PITTSBURG   LANDING.  167 

The  Bebel  Army  move  in  Silence.  The  Council  of  War. 


The  Rebel  troops  had  received  five  days'  rations 
on  Friday,  —  meat  and  bread  in  their  haversacks. 
They  were  not  permitted  to  kindle  a  fire  except 
in  holes  in  the  ground.  No  loud  talking  was 
allowed  ;  no  drums  beat  the  tattoo,  no  bugle-note 
rang  through  the  forest.  They  rolled  themselves 
in  their  blankets,  knowing  at  daybreak  they  were 
to  strike  the  terrible  blow.  They  were  confident 
of  success.  They  were  assured  by  their  officers 
it  would  be  an  easy  victory,  and  that  on  Sunday 
night  they  should  sleep  in  the  Yankee  camp,  eat 
Yankee  bread,  drink  real  coffee,  and  have  new 
suits  of  clothes. 

In  the  evening  General  Johnston  called  his 
corps  commanders  around  his  bivouac  fire  for  a 
last  talk  before  the  battle.  Although  Johnston 
was  commander-in-chief,  Beauregard  planned  the 
battle.  Johnston  was  Beauregard's  senior,  but 
the  battle-ground  was  in  Beauregard's  depart- 
ment. He  gave  ructions  to  the  officers. 

Mr.  William  G.  Stevenson,  of  Kentucky,  who 
was  in  Arkansas  when  the  war  broke  out,  was 
impressed  into  the  Rebel  service.  He  acted  as 
special  aide-de-camp  to  General  Breckenridge  in 
that  battle.  He  escaped  from  the  Rebel  service 
a  few  months  later,  and  has  published  an  inter- 
esting narrative  of  what  he  saw.*  He  stood  out- 
ride the  circle  of  generals  waiting  by  his  horse 

*  «•  Thirteen  Months  in  the  Bebel  Service." 


168  THE   ARMY  AT   PITTSBURG   LANDING. 

Mr.  SWvencon's  Statement.     Beanregftrd't  Appearance.     General  Johnston. 

in  the  darkness  to  carry  any  despatch  for  his 
commander.  He  gives  this  description  of  the 
scene :  — 

"In  an  open  space,  with  a  dim  fire  hi  the 
midst,  and  a  drum  on  which  to  write,  you  could 
see  grouped  around  their  '  Little  Napoleon,'  as 
Beauregard  was  sometimes  fondly  called,  ten  or 
twelve  generals,  the  flickering  light  playing  over 
their  eager  faces,  while  they  listened  to  his  plans, 
and  made  suggestions  as  to  the  conduct  of  the 
fight. 

"  Beauregard  soon  warmed  with  his  subject, 
and,  throwing  off  his  cloak,  to  give  free  play  to  his 
arms,  he  walked  about  the  group,  gesticulating 
rapidly,  and  jerking  out  his  sentences  with  a 
strong  French  accent.  All  listened  attentively, 
and  the  dim  light,  just  revealing  their  counte- 
nances, showed  their  different  emotions  of  con- 
fidence or  distrust  of  his  plans. 

"  General  Sidney  Johnston  stood  apart  from 
the  rest,  with  his  tall,  straight  form  standing  out 
like  a  spectre  against  the  dim  sky,  and  the  illusion 
was  fully  sustained  by  the  light-gray  military 
cloak  which  he  folded  around  him.  His  face 
was  pale,  but  wore  a  determined  expression,  and 
at  times  he  drew  nearer  the  centre  of  the  ring, 
and  said  a  few  words,  which  were  listened  to  with 
great  attention.  It  may  be  he  had  some  forebod- 
ing of  the  fate  he  was  to  meet  on  the  morrow, 


THE  ARMY  AT   PITTSBUBG  LANDING.  169 

The  Council  break*  up.  .  The  Union  Amy  Mleep. 

for  he  did  not  seem  to  take  much  part  in  the  di* 
cussion. 

"  General  Breckenridge  lay  stretched  out  on  a 
blanket  near  the  fire,  and  occasionally  sat  upright 
and  added  a  few  words  of  counsel.  General 
Bragg  spoke  frequently,  and  with  earnestness. 
General  Polk  sat  on  a  camp-stool  at  the  outside 
of  the  circle,  and  held  his  head  between  his 
hands,  buried  in  thought.  Others  reclined  or 
sat  in  various  positions. 

"For  two  hours  the  council  lasted,  and  as  it 
broke  up,  and  the  generals  were  ready  to  return 
to  their  respective  commands,  I  heard  General 
Beauregard  say,  raising  his  hand  and  pointing  in 
the  direction  of  the  Federal  camp,  whose  drums 
we  could  plainly  hear,  *  Gentlemen,  we  sleep  ID 
the  enemy's  camp  to-morrow  night.' " 

The  Confederate  General,  the  same  writer  says, 
had  minute  information  of  General  Grant's  posi- 
tion and  numbers.  This  knowledge  was  obtained 
through  spies  and  informers,  some  of  whom  lived 
in  the  vicinity,  had  been  in  and  out  of  Grant's 
camp  again  and  again,  and  knew  every  foot  of 
ground. 

Under  these  circumstances,  with  a  superior 
force,  with  accurate  knowledge  of  the  position 
of  every  brigade  in  General  Grant's  army,  with 
troops  in  the  best  spirits,  enthusiastic,  ardent, 
expecting  a  victory,  stealing  upon  a  foe  unsu» 


170  THE  ARMY   AT   PITTSBURG  LANDING. 

General  Onmt't  Army  unprepared  for  Battle.  

picious,  unprepared,  with  brigades  and  divisions 
widely  separated,  with  General  Grant,  the  com- 
mander-in-chief,  ten  miles  away,  and  General 
BuelPs  nearest  troops  twenty  miles  distant,  the 
Rebel  generals  waited  impatiently  for  the  coming 
of  the  morning. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE    BATTLB. 


The  Bebeli  under  Ann*.        The  Union  Amy  rtill  Mtoef 


FKOM  DATBKKAK  TILL  TBM  O'CLOCK. 

IT  was  a  lovely  morning.  A  few  fleecy  clouds 
floated  in  the  sky.  The  trees  were  putting 
out  their  tender  leaves.  The  air  was  fragrant 
with  the  first  blossoms  of  spring.  The  birds 
were  singing  their  sweetest  songs. 

At  three  o'clock  the  Rebel  troops  were  under 
arms,  their  breakfasts  eaten,  their  blankets  folded, 
their  knapsacks  laid  aside.  They  were  to  move 
unencumbered,  that  they  might  fight  with  more 
vigor.  The  morning  brightened,  and  the  long 
lines  moved  through  the  forest. 

The  Union  army  was  asleep.  The  reveille  had 
not  been  beaten.  The  soldiers  were  still  dream 
ing  of  home,  or  awaiting  the  morning  drum-beat. 
The  mules  and  horses  were  tied  to  the  wagons, 
whinnying  for  their  oats  and  corn.  A  few  teamsters 
were  astir.  Cooks  were  rekindling  the  smoulder- 
ing camp-fires.  The  pickets,  a  mile  out,  had  kept 
watch  through  the  night.  There  had  been  but 
little  firing.  There  was  nothing  to  indicate  the 
near  approach  of  fifty  thousand  men.  Beau 


172  THE   BATTLE. 


9en.  PrenttM'i  Pickets.   The  flnt  ShoU.    Col.  Moore  sends  to  Gen  Prentte. 

regard  had  ordered  that  there  should  be  no  picket- 
firing  through  the  night. 

General  Prentiss  had  strengthened  his  picket- 
guard  on  the  Corinth  Ridge  road  Saturday  night. 
Some  of  his  officers  reported  that  Rebel  cavalry 
were  plenty  in  the  woods.  He  therefore  doubled 
his  grand  guard,  and  extended  the  line.  He  also 
ordered  Colonel  Moore,  of  the  Twenty-first  Mis- 
souri, to  go  to  the  front  with  five  companies  of 
his  regiment.  Colonel  Moore  marched  at  three 
o'clock.  General  Prentiss  did  not  expect  a  battle, 
but  the  appearance  of  the  Rebels  along  the  lines 
led  him  to  take  these  precautions. 

About  the  time  Colonel  Moore  reached  the 
pickets  the  Rebel  skirmishers  came  in  sight. 
The  firing  began.  The  pickets  resolutely  main- 
tained their  ground,  but  the  Rebels  pushed  on. 
Colonel  Moore,  hearing  the  firing,  hastened  for- 
ward. It  was  hardly  light  enough  to  distinguish 
men  from  trees,  but  the  steady  advance  of  the 
Rebels  convinced  him  that  they  were  making  a 
serious  demonstration.  He  sent  a  messenger  to 
General  Prentiss  for  the  balance  of  his  regiment, 
which  was  sent  forward.  At  the  same  time  Gen- 
eral Prentiss  issued  orders  for  the  remainder  of 
his  division  to  form. 

His  entire  force  was  seven  regiments,  divided 
into  two  brigades.  The  first  brigade  was  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Peabody,  and  contained  the 


THE   BATTLE. 


173 


PITTSBURG  LANDING. 


1  Hurlburt's  division. 

2  W.  H.  L.  Wallace's  division. 

3  McClernand's  division. 

4  Sherman's  division. 

5  Prentiss's  division. 

6  Stuart's  brigade. 

7  Lewis  Wallace's  division. 


8  Gunboats. 

9  Transports. 
10  Ravine. 

A  Hardee's  line. 

B   Bragg'sline. 

C   Folk's  line. 

D   Breckenridge's  reserves. 


174  THE   BATTLE. 

Chmenl  PrentiM'i  Diriaion.    Bewon  why  the  Camp  wu  not  looner  alarm**. 

Twenty-fifth  Missouri,  Sixteenth  Wisconsin,  and 
Twelfth  Michigan.  The  second  brigade  was  com- 
posed of  the  Eighteenth  and  Twenty-third  Mis- 
souri, Eighteenth  Wisconsin,  and  Sixty-first  Illi- 
nois. The  Twenty-third  Missouri  was  at  Pittsburg 
Landing,  having  just  disembarked  from  a  trans- 
port, and  was  not  with  the  brigade  till  nearly  ten 
o'clock.  When  the  firing  began,  its  commander, 
having  been  ordered  to  report  to  General  Prentiss, 
moved  promptly  to  join  the  division. 

General  Prentiss  also  sent  an  officer  to  Generals 
Hurlburt  and  Wallace,  commanding  the  divisions 
in  his  rear,  near  the  Landing,  informing  them 
that  the  Rebels  were  attacking  his  pickets  in 
force.  The  firing  increased.  The  Twenty-first 
Missouri  gave  a  volley  or  two,  but  were  obliged 
to  fall  back. 

There  had  been  a  great  deal  of  practising  at 
target  in  the  regiments,  and  every  morning  the 
pickets,  on  their  return  from  the  front,  discharged 
their  guns,  and  so  accustomed  had  the  soldiers 
become  to  the  constant  firing,  that  these  volleys, 
so  early  in  the  morning,  did  not  alarm  the  camp. 

The  orders  which  General  Prentiss  had  issued 
were  tardily  acted  upon.  Many  of  the  officers 
had  not  risen  when  the  Twenty-first  Missouri 
came  back  upon  the  double-quick,  with  Colonel 
Moore  and  several  others  wounded.  They  came 
in  with  wild  cries.  The  Rebels  were  clo^e  upon 
their  heels. 


THE   BATTLE.  1Y5 


The  Kobel  Troop*. 


General  Johnston  had,  as  you  have  already 
seen,  four  lines  of  troops.  The  third  corps  was 
in  front,  commanded  by  Major-General  Hardee, 
the  second  corps  next,  commanded  by  General 
Bragg  ;  the  first  corps  next,  commanded  by  Major- 
General  Polk,  followed  by  the  reserves  under 
General  Breckenridge. 

General  Hardee  had  three  brigades,  Hindman's, 
Cleburn's,  and  Wood's.  General  Bragg  had  two 
divisions,  containing  six  brigades.  The  first  di- 
vision was  commanded  by  General  Ruggles,  and 
contained  Gibson's,  Anderson's,  and  Pond's  brig- 
ades. The  second  division  was  commanded  by 
General  Withers,  and  contained  Gladden's,  Chal- 
mers's, and  Jackson's  brigades. 

General  Polk  had  two  divisions,  containing  four 
brigades.  The  first  division  was,  commanded  by 
General  Clark,  and  contained  Russell's  and  Stew- 
art's brigades.  The  second  division  was  com- 
manded by  Major-General  Cheatham,  and  con- 
tained Johnson's  and  Stephens's  brigades. 

Breckenridge  had  Tabue's,  Bowen'^,  and  Stat- 
ham's  brigades.  General  Gladden's  brigade  of 
Withers's  division  was  placed  on  the  right  of  Har- 
dee's  line.  It  was  composed  of  the  Twenty-first, 
Twenty-fifth,  Twenty-sixth  Alabama,  and  First 
Louisiana,  with  Robertson's  battery.  Hindman's 
brigade  joined  upon  Gladden's.  Gladden  fol* 
lowed  Colonel  Moore's  force,  and  fell  upon  Preo 
tiss's  camp. 


176  THE  BATTLE. 


A  ireftt  Ooounotion.    PrtatUi'i  ActiTlty.    G«p  between  PrentiM  *od 

Instantly  there  was  a  great  commotion  in  the 
camp,  —  shouting,  hallooing,  running  to  and  fro, 
saddling  horses,  seizing  guns  and  cartridge-boxes, 
and  forming  in  ranks.  Gladden  advanced  rap- 
idly, sending  his  bullets  into  the  encampment 
Men  who  had  not  yet  risen  were  shot  while 
lying  in  their  tents. 

But  General  Prentiss  was  all  along  his  lines, 
issuing  his  orders,  inspiring  the  men  who,  just 
awakened  from  sleep,  were  hardly  in  condition 
to  act  coolly.  He  ordered  his  whole  force  for- 
ward, with  the  exception  of  the  Sixteenth  Iowa, 
which  had  no  ammunition,  having  arrived  from 
Cairo  on  Saturday  evening. 

There  was  a  wide  gap  between  Prentiss's  right 
and  Sherman's  left,  and  Hardee,  finding  no  one 
to  oppose  him,  pushed  his  own  brigades  into  the 
gap,  flanking  Prentiss  on  one  side  and  Sherman 
on  the  other,  as  you  will  see  by  a  glance  at  the 
diagram  on  page  173. 

Behind  Gladden  were  Withers's  remaining  brig- 
ades, Chalmers's,  and  Jackson's.  Chalmers  was 
on  the  right,  farther  east  than  Gladden.  He  had 
the  Fifth,  Seventh,  Ninth,  Tenth  Mississippi,  and 
Fifty-second  Tennessee,  and  Gage's  battery. 

Jackson  had  the  Second  Texas,  Seventeenth, 
Eighteenth,  and  Ninteenth  Alabama,  and  Girar- 
dey's  battery.  Chalmers  moved  rapidly  upon 
Prentiss's  left  flank.  Gage's  and  Robertson's  bat 


THE    BATTLE.  In 


Colooel  Peabodj  r»llle«  the  Troop*. 


teries  both  opened  with  shell.  Jackson  came  up 
on  Prentiss's  right,  and  in  a  short  time  his  six 
regiments  were  engaged  with  twelve  of  Bragg' a 
and  two  batteries. 

They  curled  around  Prentiss  on  both  flanks, 
began  to  gain  his  rear  to  cut  him  off  from  the 
Landing,  and  separate  him  from  Stuart's  brigade 
of  Sherman's  division,  which  was  a  mile  distant 
on  the  Hamburg  road.  The  regiments  on  the 
left  began  to  break,  then  those  in  the  centre. 
The  Rebels  saw  their  advantage.  Before  them, 
dotting  the  hillside,  were  the  much-coveted  tents. 
They  rushed  on  with  a  savage  war-cry. 

General  Prentiss,  aided  by  the  cool  and  deter- 
mined Colonel  Peabody,  rallied  the  faltering  troops 
in  front,  but  there  was  no  power  to  stop  the  flood 
upon  the  flanks. 

"Don't  give  way!  Stand  firm!  Drive  them 
back  with  the  bayonet !  "  shouted  Colonel  Pea- 
body,  and  some  Missourians  as  brave  as  he  re- 
mained in  their  places,  loading  and  firing  delib- 
erately. 

"  On  !  on !  forward  boys !  "  cried  General  Glad- 
den, leading  his  men ;  but  a  cannon-shot  came 
screaming  through  the  woods,  knocked  him  from 
his  horse,  inflicting  a  mortal  wound.  The  com- 
mand devolved  on  Colonel  Adams  of  the  First 
Louisiana. 

But  the  unchecked  tide  was  flowing  past  Pren- 


178  THE  BATTLE. 

fhe  Boat  Hnrlbvt  In  Line.  Rebels  in  HurlbartV  Camp. 

tiss's  gallant  band.  Prentiss  looked  up  to  the 
right  and  saw  it  there,  the  long  lines  of  men 
steadily  moving  through  the  forest.  He  galloped 
to  the  left  and  saw  it  there.  The  bayonets  of 
the  enemy  were  glistening  between  him  and  the 
brightening  light  in  the  east.  His  men  were  los- 
ing strength.  They  were  falling  before  the  gall- 
ing fire,  now  given  at  short  range.  They  were 
beginning  to  flee.  He  must  fall  back,  and  leave 
his  camp,  or  be  surrounded.  His  troops  ran  in 
wild  disorder.  Men,  horses,  baggage-wagons, 
ambulances,  bounded  over  logs  and  stumps 
and  through  thickets  in  indescribable  confusion. 
Colonel  Peabody  was  shot  from  his  horse,  mor- 
tally wounded,  and  his  troops,  which  had  begun 
to  show  pluck  and  endurance,  joined  the  fugi- 
tives. 

Prentiss  advised  Hurlburt  of  the  disaster.  Hurl- 
burt  was  prepared.  He  moved  his  division  for- 
ward upon  the  double-quick.  Prentiss's  disor- 
ganized regiments  drifted  through  it,  but  his 
ranks  were  unshaken. 

The  Rebels  entered  the  tents  of  the  captured 
camp,  threw  off  their  old  clothes,  and  helped  them- 
selves to  new  garments,  broke  open  trunks,  rifled 
the  knapsacks,  and  devoured  the  warm  breakfast. 
They  were  jubilant ;  they  shouted,  danced,  sung, 
and  thought  the  victory  won.  Two  or  three 
hundred  prisoners  were  taken,  disarmed,  and 


THE   BATTLE.  179 


Sherman's  Pickets  driven  in.     Alarm  on  the  Right.     Hardee  makes  a  Mistake. 

their  pockets  searched.  They  were  obliged  to 
give  up  all  their  money,  and  exchange  clothes 
with  their  captors,  and  then  were  marched  to  the 
rear. 

While  this  was  taking  place  in  Preutiss's  divis- 
ion, Sherman's  pickets  were  being  driven  back  by 
the  rapid  advance  of  the  Rebel  lines.  It  was  a 
little  past  sunrise  when  they  came  in,  breathless, 
with  startling  accounts  that  the  entire  Rebel  army 
was  at  their  heels.  The  officers  were  not  out  of 
bed.  The  soldiers  were  just  stirring,  rubbing 
their  eyes,  putting  on  their  boots,  washing  at  the 
brook,  or  tending  their  camp-kettles.  Their  guns 
were  in  their  tents ;  they  had  a  small  supply  of 
ammunition.  It  was  a  complete  surprise. 

Officers  jumped  from  their  beds,  tore  open  the 
tent-flies,  and  stood  in  undress  to  see  what  it  was 
all  about.  The  Rebel  pickets  rushed  up  within 
close  musket  range  and  fired. 

"  Fall  in  !  Form  a  line  !  here,  quick  !  "  were 
the  orders  from  the  officers. 

There  was  running  in  every  direction.  Sol- 
diers for  their  guns,  officers  for  their  sabres,  artil 
lerists  to  their  pieces,  teamsters  to  their  horses 
There  was  hot  haste,  and  a  great  hurly-burly. 

General  Hardee  made  a  mistake  at  the  outset. 
Instead  of  rushing  up  with  a  bayonet-charge  upon 
Sherman's  camp,  and  routing  his  unformed  brig- 
ades in  an  instant,  as  he  might  have  done,  he  un 
limbered  his  batteries  and  opened  fire. 


180  THE   BATTLE. 


Brigades  first  engaged.          Waterhoune'g  Battery.          Taylor't  Portion. 

The  first  infantry  attack  was  upon  Hildebrand's 
brigade,  composed  of  the  Fifty-third,  Fifty-ninth, 
and  Seventy-sixth  Ohio,  and  the  Fifty-third  Illi- 
nois, which  was  on  the  left  of  the  division.  Next 
to  it  stood  Buckland's  brigade,  composed  of  the 
Forty-eighth,  Seventieth,  and  Seventy-second  Ohio. 
On  the  extreme  right,  west  of  the  church,  was 
McDowell's  brigade,  composed  of  the  Sixth  Iowa, 
Fortieth  Illinois,  and  Forty-sixth  Ohio.  Taylor's 
battery  was  parked  around  the  church,  and  Water- 
house's  battery  was  on  a  ridge  a  little  east  of  the 
church,  behind  Hildebrand's  brigade. 

Notwithstanding  this  sudden  onset,  the  ranks 
did  not  break.  Some  men  ran,  but  the  regiments 
formed  with  commendable  firmness.  The  Rebel 
skirmishers  came  down  to  the  bushes  which  bor- 
der the  brook  south  of  the  church,  and  began  a 
scattering  fire,  which  was  returned  by  Sherman's 
pickets,  which  were  still  in  line  a  few  rods  in  front 
of  the  regiments.  There  was  an  open  space  be- 
tween the  Fifty-seventh  and  Fifty-third  regiments 
of  Hildebrand's  brigade,  and  Waterhouse,  under 
Sherman's  direction,  let  fly  Ms  shells  through  the 
gap  into  the  bushes.  Taylor  wheeled  his  guns 
into  position  on  both  sides  of  the  church. 

Hiudman,  Cleburn,  and  "Wood  advanced  into 
the  gap  between  Sherman  and  Prentiss,  and  swung 
towards  the  northwest  upon  Sherman's  left  flauk. 
Ruggles,  with  his  three  brigades,  and  Hodgson's 


THE  BATTLE.  181 


battery  of  Louisiana  artillery,  and  Ketchum's  bat- 
tery, moved  upon  Sherman's  front.  He  had  Gib- 
son's brigade  on  the  right,  composed  of  the  Fourth, 
Thirteenth,  and  Nineteenth  Louisiana,  and  the 
First  Arkansas.  Anderson's  brigade  was  next  in 
line,  containing  the  Seventeenth  and  Twentieth 
Louisiana,  and  Ninth  Texas,  a  Louisiana  and  a 
Florida  battalion.  Pond's  brigade  was  on  the 
left,  and  contained  the  Sixteenth  and  Eighteenth 
Louisiana,  Thirty-eighth  Tennessee,  and  two  Lou- 
isiana battalions. 

When  the  alarm  was  given,  General  Sherman 
was  instantly  on  his  horse.  He  sent  a  request  to 
McClernand  to  support  Hildebrand.  He  also  sent 
word  to  Prentiss  that  the  enemy  were  in  front, 
but  Prentiss  had  already  made  the  discovery,  and 
was  contending  with  all  his  might  against  the 
avalanche  rolling  upon  him  from  the  ridge  south 
of  his  position.  He  sent  word  to  Hurlburt  that 
a  force  was  needed  in  the  gap  between  the  church 
and  Prentiss.  He  was  everywhere  present,  dawn- 
ing along  his  lines,  paying  no  attention  to  tLe 
constant  fire  aimed  at  him  and  his  staff  by  the 
Rebel  skirmishers,  within  short  musket  range. 
They  saw  him,  knew  that  he  was  an  officer  of 
high  rank,  saw  that  he  was  bringing  order  out 
of  confusion,  and  tried  to  pick  him  off.  While 
galloping  down  to  Hildebrand,  his  orderly,  Halli 
day,  was  killed. 


182  THE   BATTLE. 


The  Fight  at  Sunrise.    The  Tield  south  of  the  Brook.     Taylor's  iMtructlont 

The  fire  from  the  bushes  was  galling,  and  Hil- 
debrand  ordered  the  Seventy-seventh  and  Fifty- 
seventh  Ohio  to  drive  out  the  Rebels.  They 
advanced,  and  were  about  to  make  a  charge, 
when  they  saw  that  they  were  confronted  by 
Hardee's  line,  moving  down  the  slope.  The 
sun  was  just  sending  its  morning  rays  through 
the  forest,  shining  on  the  long  line  of  bayonets. 
Instead  of  advancing,  Hildebrand  fell  back  and 
took  position  by  Waterhouse,  on  the  ridge.  When 
Hildebrand  advanced,  two  of  Waterhouse's  guns 
were  sent  across  the  brook,  but  they  were  speedily 
withdrawn,  not  too  soon,  however,  for  they  were 
needed  to  crush  Hindman  and  Cleburn  who  were 
crossing  below  Hildebrand. 

Upon  the  south  side  of  the  brook  there  was 
a  field  and  a  crazy  old  farm-house.  Ruggles 
came  into  the  field,  halted,  and  began  to  form 
for  a  rapid  descent  to  the  brook.  His  troops 
were  in  full  view  from  the  church. 

"  Pay  your  respects  to  those  fellows  over  there," 
said  Major  Taylor  to  the  officer  commanding  his 
own  battery.  Taylor  was  chief  of  artillery  in 
Sherman's  division,  and  was  not  in  immediate 
command  of  his  own  battery.  When  he  first 
saw  them  come  into  the  field  he  thought  they 
were  not  Rebels,  but  some  of  Prentiss's  men, 
who  had  been  out  on  the  front.  He  hesitated 
to  open  fire  till  it  was  ascertained  who  they  were. 


THE  BATTLE.  188 


Artillery  Tin.    Attack  on  HUdebrand's  left  Flank.    Waterhouse  cf ieck»  It. 

He  rode  down  to  Waterhouse,  and  told  him  to 
fire  into  the  field.  He  galloped  up  to  McDowell's 
brigade,  where  Barrett's  battery  was  stationed,  and 
told  the  officer  commanding  to  do  the  same.  In 
a  moment  the  field  was  smoking  hot,  shells  burst- 
ing in  the  air,  crashing  through  Ruggles's  ranks, 
and  boring  holes  in  the  walls  of  the  dilapidated 
old  cabin.  The  Rebels  could  not  face  in  the  open 
field  so  severe  a  fire.  Instead  of  advancing  di- 
rectly against  the  church,  they  moved  into  the 
woods  east  of  the  field,  and  became  reinforce- 
ments to  the  brigades  already  well  advanced 
into  the  gap  between  Sherman  and  Preutiss. 

They  came  up  on  Hildebrand's  left  flank.  The 
thick  growth  of  hazel  and  alders  along  the  brook 
concealed  their  movements.  They  advanced  till 
they  were  not  more  than  three  hundred  feet  from 
the  Fifty-third  and  Fifty-seventh  Ohio  before  they 
began  their  fire.  They  yelled  like  demons,  screech- 
ing and  howling  to  frighten  the  handful  of  men 
supporting  Waterhouse.  Taylor  saw  that  they 
intended  an  attack  upon  Waterhouse.  He  rode 
to  the  spot.  "  Give  them  grape  and  canister  !  " 
he  shouted.  It  was  done.  The  iron  hail  swept 
through  the  bushes.  The  yelling  suddenly  ceased. 
There  were  groans  and  moans  instead.  The  ad 
vance  in  that  direction  was  instantly  checked. 

But  all  the  while  the  centre  brigades  of  Hardee 
were  pushing  ink  the  gap,  and,  without  serious 


184  THE   BATTLE. 


The  Rebel*  gain  the  Ridge.  McClernand's  Dlriilon 

opposition,  were  gaining  Sherman's  left  flank. 
Water-house  began  to  limber  up  his  guns  for  a 
retreat.  Taylor  feared  a  sudden  panic. 

"  Contest  every  inch  of  ground.  Keep  cool. 
Give  them  grape.  Let  them  have  all  they  want,'' 
said  Taylor. 

Waterhouse  unlimbered  his  guns  again,  wheeled 
them  a  little  more  to  the  east,  almost  northeast, 
and  opened  a  fire  which  raked  the  long  lines  and 
again  held  them  in  check.  Taylor  sent  to  Schwartz, 
Dresser,  and  McAllister,  connected  with  McCler- 
nand's division,  to  come  into  position  ana  stop  the 
flank  movement. 

This  took  time.  The  Rebels,  seeing  thvrr  ad- 
vantages, and  hoping  to  cut  off  Sherman,  pushed 
on,  and  in  five  minutes  were  almost  in  rear  of 
Waterhouse  and  Hildebrand.  They  gained  the 
ridge  which  enfiladed  Hildebrand.  Cleburn  and 
Wood  swung  up  against  Waterhouse.  He  wheeled 
still  farther  north,  working  his  guns  with  great 
rapidity.  They  rushed  upon  him  with  the  Indian 
war-whoop.  His  horses  were  shot.  He  tried  to 
drag  off  his  guns.  He  succeeded  in  saving  three, 
but  was  obliged  to  leave  the  other  three  in  their 
hands. 

General  McClernand  had  promptly  responded 
to  Sherman's  request  to  support  Hildebrand 
Three  regiments  of  Raitt's  and  Marsh's  brigadei 
were  brought  round  into  position  in  rear  of  Hil 


THE   BATTLE.  186 


to.  atlll  holds  out. 


debrand.  You  remember  that  McClernand's  c 
vision  was  facing  northwest,  and  this  movement, 
therefore,  was  a  change  of  front  to  the  southeast. 
The  Eleventh  Illinois  formed  upon  the  right  of 
Waterhouse.  The  other  two,  the  Forty-third  and 
Thirtieth  Illinois,  were  on  the  left,  in  rear.  The 
fight  was  in  Hildebrand's  camp.  There  was  a 
fierce  contest.  Two  thirds  of  Hildebrand's  men 
had  been  killed  and  wounded,  or  were  missing. 
Most  of  the  missing  had  fled  towards  the  river. 
The  regiments  that  remained  were  mixed  up. 
The  sudden  onset  had  thrown  them  into  con- 
fusion. There  was  but  little  order.  Each  man 
fought  for  himself.  It  was  a  brave  little  band, 
which  tried  to  save  the  camp,  but  they  were  out- 
numbered and  outflanked.  The  Eleventh  Illinois 
lost  six  or  eight  of  its  officers  by  the  first  volley, 
yet  they  stood  manfully  against  the  superior  force. 
Meanwhile,  Buckland  and  McDowell  were  in 
a  hot  fight  against  Anderson  and  Pond,  who  had 
moved  to  the  western  border  of  the  field,  and  were 
forming  against  McDowell's  right.  Barrett  and 
Taylor  were  thundering  against  them,  but  there 
were  more  cannon  replying  from  the  Rebel  side. 
They  were  so  far  round  on  McDowell's  flank,  that 
the  shells  which  flew  over  the  heads  of  McDowell's 
men  came  past  the  church  into  Hildebrand's  ranks. 
Sherman  tried  to  hold  his  position  by  the  church. 
He  considered  it  to  be  of  the  utmost  importance. 


186  THE   BATTLE. 

How  Sherman'*  Hone*  were  shot. 

He  did  not  want  to  lose  his  camp.  He  exhibited 
great  bravery.  His  horse  was  shot,  and  he  mounted 
another.  That  also  was  killed,  and  he  took  a  third, 
and,  before  night,  lost  his  fourth.  He  encouraged 
his  men,  noi  only  by  his  words,  but  by  his  reckless 
daring.  Buckland's  and  McDowell's  men  recov- 
ered from  the  shock  they  first  received.  They 
became  bull-dogs.  Their  blood  was  up.  As  often 
as  the  Rebels  attempted  to  crowd  McDowell  back, 
they  defeated  the  attempt.  The  two  brigades  with 
Taylor's  and  Barrett's  batteries  held  their  ground 
till  after  ten  o'clock,  and  they  would  not  have 
yielded  then  had  it  not  been  for  disaster  down 
the  line. 

Hildebrand  rallied  his  men.  About  one  hun- 
dred joined  the  Eleventh  Illinois,  of  McClernand's 
division,  and  fought  like  tigers. 

In  the  advance  of  Bragg's  line,  Gibson's  brigade 
bocame  separated  from  Anderson  and  Pond,  Gib- 
son moving  to  the  right  towards  Prentiss,  and  they 
to  the  left  towards  Sherman.  Several  regiments 
of  Folk's  line  immediately  moved  into  the  gap. 
It  was  a  reinforcement  of  the  centre,  but  it  was 
also  a  movement  which  tended  to  disorganize  the 
Rebel  lines.  Gibson  became  separated  from  his 
division  commands,  and  the  regiments  from  Polk's 
corps  became  disconnected  from  their  brigades, 
but  General  Bragg  directed  them  to  joLi  General 
Hindman. 


THE   BATTLE.  187 

ft«  Rebels  advance  upon  McClemand.   Sherman  obliged  to  give  up  hii  Camp. 

They  moved  on  towards  McClernand,  who  was 
changing  front  and  getting  into  position  a  half- 
mile  in  rear  of  Sherman.  They  were  so  far  ad- 
vanced towards  Pittsburg  Landing,  that  Sherman 
saw  he  was  in  danger  of  being  cut  off.  He  reluc- 
tantly gave  the  order  to  abandon  his  camp  and 
take  a  new  position.  He  ordered  the  batteries  to 
fall  back  to  the  Purdy  and  Hamburg  road.  He 
saw  Buckland  and  McDowell,  and  told  them 
where  to  rally.  Captain  Behr  had  been  posted 
on  the  Purdy  road  with  his  battery,  and  had  had 
but  little  part  in  the  fight.  He  was  falling  back, 
closely  followed  by  Pond. 

"  Come  into  position  out  there  on  the  right," 
said  Sherman,  pointing  to  the  place  where  he 
wanted  him  to  unlimber.  There  came  a  volley 
from  tho  woods.  A  shot  struck  the  Captain  from 
his  horse.  The  drivers  and  gunners  became  fright- 
ened, and  rode  off  with  the  caissons,  leaving  five 
unspiked  guns  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Rebels ! 
Sherman  and  Taylor,  and  other  officers,  by  their 
coolness,  bravery,  and  daring,  saved  Buckland  and 
McDowell's  brigades  from  a  panic ;  and  thus,  after 
four  hours  of  hard  fighting,  Sherman  was  obliged 
to  leave  his  camp  and  fall  back  behind  McCler- 
nand, who  now  was  having  a  fierce  fight  with  the 
brigades  which  had  pushed  in  between  Prentisa 
and  Sherman. 

The  Rebels  rejoiced  over  their  success,     Their 


188  THE   BATTLE. 


The  Retell  help  themielTeg.    Hurlburt'i  Preparation*.    Veatch'B  Brigade. 

loud  hurrahs  rose  above  the  din  of  battle.  They 
rushed  into  the  tents  and  helped  themselves  to 
whatever  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  as  had 
already  been  done  in  Prentiss's  camps.  Officers 
and  men  in  the  Rebel  ranks  alike  forgot  all  disci- 
pline. They  threw  off  their  old  gray  rags,  and 
appeared  in  blue  uniforms.  They  broke  open  the 
trunks  of  the  officers,  and  rifled  the  knapsacks  of 
the  soldiers.  They  seized  the  half-cooked  break- 
fast, and  ate  like  half-starved  wolves.  They  found 
bottles  of  whiskey  in  some  of  the  officers'  quar- 
ters, and  drank,  danced,  sung,  hurrahed,  and  were 
half-crazy  with  the  excitement  of  their  victory. 

Having  taken  this  look  at  matters  hi  the  vicinity 
of  the  church,  let  us  go  towards  the  river,  and  see 
the  other  divisions. 

It  was  about  half  past  six  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing when  General  Hurlburt  received  notice  from 
General  Sherman  that  the  Rebels  were  driving  in 
his  pickets.  A  few  minutes  later  he  had  word 
from  Prentiss  asking  for  assistance. 

He  sent  Veatch's  brigade,  which  you  remembei 
consisted  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Indiana,  the  Four- 
teenth, Fifteenth,  and  Forty-eighth  Illinois,  to 
Sherman.  The  troops  sprang  into  ranks  as  soon 
as  the  order  was  issued,  and  were  on  the  march 
in  ten  minutes. 

Prentiss  sent  a  second  messenger,  askir>^  foi 
immediate  aid.  Hurlburt  in  person  led  his  othei 


THE  BATTLE.  189 

Hurlbort'B  Line  of  Battle.  Th«  Peaoh-Orohaid. 

two  brigades,  Williams's  and  Lauman's.  He  had 
Mann's  Ohio  battery,  commanded  by  Lieutenant 
Brotzman,  Ross's  battery,  from  Michigan,  and 
Meyer's  Thirteenth  Ohio  battery.  He  marched 
out  on  the  Ridge  road,  and  met  Prentiss's  troops, 
disorganized  and  broken,  with  doleful  stories  of 
the  loss  of  everything.  Prentiss  and  other  officers 
were  attempting  to  rally  them. 

Hurlburt  formed  in  line  of  battle  on  the  border 
of  an  old  cotton-field  on  the  Hamburg  road.  There 
were  some  sheds,  and  a  log-hut  with  a  great  chim- 
ney built  of  mud  and  sticks,  along  the  road.  In 
front  of  the  hut  was  a  peach-orchard.  Mann's 
battery  was  placed  near  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  field.  Williams's  brigade  was  placed  on  one 
side  of  the  field,  and  Lauman's  on  the  other,  which 
made  the  line  nearly  a  right  angle.  Ross's  bat- 
tery was  posted  on  the  right,  and  Meyer's  on  the 
left.  This  disposition  of  his  force  enabled  Hurl- 
burt to  concentrate  his  fire  upon  the  field  and 
into  the  peach-orchard. 

You  see  the  position,  —  the  long  line  of  men  in 
blue,  in  the  edge  of  the  woods,  sheltered  in  part 
by  the  giant  oaks.  You  see  the  log-huts,  the  mud 
Chimney,  the  peach-trees  in  front,  all  aflame  with 
pink  blossoms.  The  field  is  as  smooth  as  a  house 
floor.  Here  and  there  are  handfuls  of  cotton, 
the  leavings  of  last  year's  crop.  It  is  perhaps 
forty  or  fifty  rods  across  the  field  to  the  fores^ 


190  THE   BATTLE. 

The  Fugitives  stopped.  The  Attack  upon  Hurlbnrt. 

upon  the  other  side.  Hurlburt  and  his  officers 
are  riding  along  the  lines,  cheering  the  men  and 
giving  directions.  The  fugitives  from  Prentiss 
are  hastening  towards  the  Landing.  But  a  line 
of  guards  has  been  thrown  out,  and  the  men  are 
rallying  behind  Hurlburt.  The  men  standing  in 
line  along  that  field  know  that  they  are  to  fight  a 
terrible  battle.  At  first  there  is  a  little  wavering, 
but  they  gain  confidence,  load  their  guns,  and  wait 
for  the  enemy. 

Withers's  division,  which  had  pushed  back 
Prentiss,  moved  upon  Hurlburt's  right.  Gage's 
and  Girardey's  batteries  opened  fire.  The  first 
shot  struck  near  Meyer's  battery.  The  men  never 
before  had  heard  the  shriek  of  a  Rebel  shell.  It 
was  so  sudden,  unexpected,  and  terrifying,  thai 
officers  and  men  fled,  leaving  their  cannon,  cais- 
sons, horses,  and  everything.  Hurlburt  saw  no 
more  of  them  during  the  day.  Indignant  at  the 
manifestation  of  cowardice,  he  rode  down  to 
Mann's  battery,  and  called  for  volunteers  to  work 
the  abandoned  guns  ;  ten  men  responded  to  the 
call.  A  few  other  volunteers  were  picked  up, 
and  although  they  knew  but  little  of  artillery  prac- 
tice, took  their  places  beside  the  guns  and  opened 
fire.  The  horses  with  the  caissons  were  dashing 
madly  through  the  forest,  increasing  the  confusion, 
but  they  were  caught  and  brought  in.  You  see 
that  in  battle  men  sometimes  lose  their  presence 


THE   BATTLE.  191 


A  dark  Look  for  the  Union  Army.  General  Grant's  Operation*. 


of  mind,  and  act  foolishly.  It  is  quite  likely,  how- 
ever, that  the  troops  fought  all  the  more  bravely 
for  this  display  of  cowardice.  Many  who  were  a 
little  nervous,  who  had  a  strange  feeling  at  the 
heart,  did  not  like  the  exhibition,  and  resolved 
that  they  would  not  run. 

At  this  time  the  fortunes  of  the  Union  army 
were  dark.  Prentiss  had  been  routed.  His  com- 
mand was  a  mere  rabble.  Hildebrand's  brigade 
of  Sherman's  division  was  broken  to  pieces  ;  there 
was  not  more  than  half  a  regiment  left.  The 
other  two  brigades  of  Sherman's  division  by  the 
church  were  giving  way.  Half  of  Waterhouse's 
battery,  and  all  but  one  of  Behr's  guns  were 
taken.  Sherman  and  Prentiss  had  been  driven 
from  their  camps.  Four  of  the  six  guns  com- 
posing Meyer's  battery  could  not  be  used  for 
want  of  men.  The  three  regiments  which  McCler- 
nand  had  sent  to  Sherman  were  badly  cut  to 
pieces.  The  entire  front  had  been  driven  in. 
Johnston  had  gained  a  mile  of  ground.  He  had 
accomplished  a  great  deal  with  little  loss. 

General  Grant  heard  the  firing  at  Savannah,  ten 
miles  down  the  river.  It  was  so  constant  and 
heavy  that  he  understood  at  once  it  was  an  at- 
tack. He  sent  a  messenger  post  haste  to  Genera] 
Buell,  whose  advance  was  ten  miles  east  of  Savan- 
nah, and  then  hastened  to  Pittsburg  on  a  steam 
boat.  He  arrived  on  the  ground  about  nine  o'clock 


192  THE   BATTLE. 


The  Rebel  force  In  the  form  of  *  Wedge. 


Up  to  that  hour  there  was  no  commander-in-chief, 
but  each  division  commander  gave  such  orders  as 
he  thought  best.  There  was  but  little  unity  of 
action.  Each  commander  was  impressed  with  a 
sense  of  danger,  and  each  was  doing  his  best  to 
hold  the  enemy  in  check. 

The  wide  gap  between  Prentiss  and  Sherman, 
and  the  quick  routing  of  Prentiss's  regiments, 
enabled  Hardee  to  push  his  middle  brigades  to 
the  centre  of  the  Union  army  without  much  oppo- 
sition. Both  of  Hardee's  flanks  had  been  held 
back  by  the  stout  fight  of  Sherman  on  one  side 
the  weaker  resistance  of  Prentiss  on  the  other. 
This  gradually  made  the  Rebel  force  into  the 
form  of  a  wedge,  and  at  the  moment  when  Hurl* 
burt  was  waiting  for  their  advance,  the  point  of 
the  wedge  had  penetrated  beyond  Hurlburt'i 
right,  but  there  it  came  against  General  W.  H.  L. 
Wallace's  division. 

When  Hurlburt  notified  Wallace  that  Prentiss 
was  attacked,  that  noble  commander  ordered  his 
division  under  arms.  You  remember  his  posi- 
tion, near  Snake  Creek,  and  nearer  the  Pittsburg 
Landing  than  any  other  division.  He  at  once 
moved  in  the  direction  of  the  firing,  which 
brought  him  west  of  Hurlburt's  position. 

You  remember  that  General  McClernaiid  had 
sent  three  regiments  to  General  Sherman,  and 
that  they  were  obliged  to  change  front.  Having 


THE   BATTLE.  198 


MaClernand  change*  front.  Hit  PotlUon. 

done  that,  he  moved  his  other  two  brigades,  the 
first  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Hare,  includ- 
ing the  Eighth  and  Eighteenth  Illinois  infantry 
and  the  Eleventh  and  Thirteenth  Iowa,  with 
Dresser's  battery,  and  the  third  brigade  with 
Schwartz's  and  McAllister's  batteries.  It  was  a 
complete  change  of  front.  These  movements  of 
Wallace  and  McClernand  were  directly  against 
the  two  sides  and  the  point  of  the  wedge  which 
Hardee  was  driving.  Wallace  marched  southwest, 
and  McClernand  swung  round  facing  southeast. 
They  came  up  just  in  season  to  save  Sherman  from 
being  cut  off  and  also  to  save  Veatch's  brigade  ot 
Hurlburt's  division  from  being  overwhelmed. 

McClernand's  head-quarters  were  in  an  old  cot 
ton-field.  The  camps  of  his  regiments  extended 
across  the  field  and  into  the  forest  on  both  sides. 
He  established  his  line  on  the  south  side  of  the 
field  in  the  edge  of  the  forest,  determined  to  save 
his  camp  if  possible.  His  men  had  seen  hard 
fighting  at  Port  Donelson,  and  so  had  General 
Wallace's  men.  They  were  hardened  to  the 
scenes  of  battle,  whereas  Sherman's,  Prentiss's, 
and  Hurlburt's  men  were  having  their  first  ex- 
perience. Schwartz,  McAllister,  and  Dresser 
had  confronted  the  Rebels  at  Donelson,  and  so 
had  Major  Cavender  with  his  eighteen  pieces, 
commanded  by  Captains  Stone,  Richardson,  and 
Walker. 


THE   BATTLE. 


A  W*Ik  along  the  Line.      The  Regiments  in  Line  of  Battle.      The  Bight. 


This  is  a  long  and  intricate  story,  and  I  fear 
you  will  not  be  able  to  understand  it.  The  regi- 
ments at  this  hour  were  very  much  mixed  up, 
and  as  the  battle  continued  they  became  more  so. 
Later  in  the  day  there  was  so  much  confusion 
that  no  correct  account  can  ever  be  given  of  the 
positions  of  the  regiments.  Thousands  of  you,  I 
doubt  not,  had  friends  in  that  battle,  and  you 
would  like  to  know  just  where  they  stood.  Let 
us  therefore  walk  the  entire  length  of  the  line 
while  the  Rebels  are  preparing  for  the  second 
onset.  Commencing  on  the  extreme  right,  we 
find  Sherman  reforming  with  his  left  flank  a  little 
in  rear  of  McClernand's  right.  There  is  McDow- 
ell's brigade  on  the  right,  the  Sixth  Iowa,  Fourth 
Illinois,  and  Forty-sixth  Ohio.  Buckland's  brig- 
ade next,  the  Forty-eighth,  Seventieth,  and  Sev- 
enty-second Ohio.  A  few  men  of  Hildebrand's 
brigade,  not  five  hundred  in  all,  of  the  Fifty-third, 
Fifty-seventh,  and  Seventy-sixth  Ohio.  Next  the 
regiments  of  McClernand's  division,  the  Eleventh 
Iowa,  Eleventh,  Twentieth,  Forty-eighth,  Forty 
fifth,  Seventeenth,  Twenty-ninth,  Forty-ninth, 
Forty-third,  Eighth,  and  Eighteenth  Illinois.  Next 
Wallace's  division,  Seventh,  Ninth,  Twelfth,  Fif- 
tieth, and  Fifty-second  Illinois,  the  Twelfth,  Thir- 
teenth Iowa,  and  the  Twenty-fifth,  Fifty-second, 
and  Fifty-sixth  Indiana.  I  think  that  all  of  those 
regiments  were  there,  although  it  is  possible  that 


THE   BATTLE. 


Stuart's  Position. 


one  or  two  of  them  had  not  arrived.  These  are 
not  all  in  the  front  line,  but  you  see  them  in  two 
lines.  Some  of  them  lying  down  behind  the 
ridges  waiting  the  time  when  they  can  spring  up 
and  confront  the  enemy. 

Next  in  line  you  see  Yeatch's  brigade  of  Hurl* 
burt's  division,  the  Twenty-fifth  Indiana,  the  Four- 
teenth, Fifteenth,  and  Forty-sixth  Illinois  ;  then 
Williams's  brigade,  the  Third  Iowa,  the  Twenty- 
eighth,  Thirty-second,  and  Forty-first  Illinois,  by 
the  log-huts  of  the  cotton-field  on  the  Hamburg 
road.  Here  are  Cavender's  guns,  eighteen  of 
them.  Next  is  Laumau's  brigade,  —  not  the 
one  he  commanded  at  Donelson  in  the  victorious 
charge,  but  one  composed  of  the  Thirty-first  and 
Forty-fourth  Indiana,  and  the  Seventeenth  and 
Twenty-fifth  Kentucky. 

Behind  Wallace  and  Hurlburt  Prentiss  is  re- 
forming his  disorganized  regiments,  the  Twenty- 
first,  Twenty-third,  and  Twenty-fifth  Missouri, 
Sixteenth  and  Eighteenth  Wisconsin,  and  the 
Twelfth  Michigan. 

You  remember  that  Stuart's  brigade  of  Sher- 
man's division  was  keeping  watch  on  the  Ham- 
burg road  at  the  Lick  Creek  crossing,  towards 
the  river  from  Prentiss.  When  Prentiss  was 
attacked,  he  sent  word  to  Stuart,  who  ordered 
his  brigade  under  arms  at  once.  He  waited 
for  orders.  He  saw  after  a  while  the  Rebel 


THE  BATTL£. 


The  Attack  upon  Stuart  The  Rebels  try  to  eat  him  off. 

bayonets  gleaming  through  the  woods  between 
himself  and  Prentiss.  He  placed  the  Seventy- 
first  Ohio  on  the  right,  the  Fifty-fifth  Illinois  in 
the  centre,  and  the  Fifty-fourth  on  the  left.  These 
three  regiments  compose  his  brigade,  and  com- 
plete the  list  of  those  engaged  in  the  fight  on 
Sunday. 

When  the  fight  began  in  the  morning,  Stuart 
sent  two  companies  across  the  creek  to  act  as 
skirmishers,  but  before  they  could  scale  the  high 
bluffs  upon  the  south  side,  Statham's  and  Bowen's 
brigades,  of  Breckenridge's  reserves,  had  posses- 
sion of  the  ground,  and  they  returned.  Statham's 
batteries  opened  upon  Stuart's  camp.  Brecken- 
ridge  had  moved  round  from  his  position  in  rear, 
and  now  formed  the  extreme  right  of  Johnston. 
There  were  eight  regiments  and  a  battery  in  front 
of  Stuart.  The  battery  forced  the  Seventy-first 
Ohio  from  its  position.  It  retired  to  the  top  of 
the  ridge  behind  its  camp-ground,  which  Stuari 
could  have  held  against  a  superior  force,  had  he 
not  been  outflanked.  The  Seventy-first,  without 
orders,  abandoned  the  position,  retreated  towards 
the  Landing,  and  Stuart  saw  no  more  of  them 
during  the  day. 

He  took  a  new  position,  with  his  two  regiments, 
on  the  crest  of  the  hill.  East  of  him  was  a  ravine. 
Breckenridge  sent  a  body  of  cavalry  and  infantry 
across  the  creek  to  creep  up  this  ravine,  get  in  reai 


THK  BATTLE.  197 


The  right  in  the  Barine.  gfcurt  compelled  to  Betreat. 

of  Stuart's  left  flank,  and  with  the  masses  hurry- 
ing past  his  right  cut  him  off.  Stuart  determined 
to  make  a  gallant  resistance.  He  sent  four  compa- 
nies of  the  Fifty-fourth  Ohio,  who  took  their  posi- 
tion at  the  head  of  the  ravine  or  gully  which  makes 
up  from  the  creek  towards  the  north.  They  crept 
into  the  thick  bushes,  hid  behind  the  trees,  and 
commenced  a  galling  fire,  forcing  the  cavalry 
back  and  stopping  the  advance  of  the  infantry. 
The  remainder  of  his  force  kept  Statham  back 
on  the  front.  His  line  of  fire  was  across  an 
open  field,  and  as  often  as  Statham  attempted 
to  cross  it,  he  was  sent  back  by  the  well-directed 
volleys.  Stuart  received  assurances  from  General 
McArthur,  commanding  one  of  Wallace's  brigades, 
that  he  should  be  supported,  but  the  supports 
could  not  be  spared  from  the  centre.  Stuart 
maintained  his  position  more  than  two  hours, 
till  his  cartridge-boxes  were  emptied.  When  his 
ammunition  failed,  Statham  and  Bowen  made 
another  rush  upon  his  left,  and  he  saw  that  he 
must  retreat  or  be  taken  prisoner.  He  fell  back 
to  Hurlburt's  line,  and  formed  the  remnant  of  his 
brigade  on  the  left,  thus  completing  the  line  of 
battle  which  was  established  at  ten  o'clock. 

FKOM  TBW  O'CLOCK  TILL  Fou*. 

Generals  Bragg  and  Folk  directed  the  attack  on 
McGlernand  and  Wallace.     Pond's  brigade  waa 


198  THE   BATTLE. 


The  Bebels  Confident.  Attack  on  McClernsnd. 


northwest  of  the  church,  Anderson's  by  the  church, 
Cleburn's  and  Wood's  east  of  it.  Hindman's  and 
the  regiments  of  Folk's  corps  which  had  broken 
off  from  their  brigades  were  in  front  of  Wallace's 
right.  These  regiments  belonged  to  Cheatham's 
division.  The  whole  of  his  division  was  in  front 
of  Wallace.  •  •  •"• 

Russell,  Stewart,  and  Gibson  were  in  front  of 
Wallace's  left.  Gladden,  Chalmers,  and  Jackson 
vere  on  Hurlburt's  right,  while  Breckenridge, 
having  driven  back  Stuart,  came  up  on  his  left. 

The  Rebels,  confident  of  final  victory,  came  up 
*ith  great  bravery,  and  commenced  attacking 
McClernand,  but  they  were  confronted  by  men 
equally  brave.  Pond  and  Anderson  charged  upon 
tLe  regiments  on  McClernand's  right,  but  the 
charge  was  broken  by  the  quick  volleys  of  the 
Eleventh,  Twentieth,  and  Forty-eighth  Illinois. 
Cleburn  and  Wood  rushed  upon  the  Forty-fifth, 
Seventeenth,  and  Forty-ninth,  which  were  in  the 
centre  of  the  division,  but  were  repulsed.  Then 
they  swuug  against  the  Eleventh  and  Eighteenth, 
in  front  of  McClernand's  head-quarters,  but  could 
not  break  the  line.  For  a  half-hour  more,  they 
stood  and  fired  at  long  musket  range.  Dresser, 
McAllister,  and  Schwartz  gave  their  batteries  full 
play,  but  were  answered  by  the  batteries  planted 
around  the  church,  on  the  ground  from  which 
Sherman  had  been  driven.  Bragg  advanced  hi* 


THE   BATTLE.  199 


Charge  upon  the  Batterie*. 


men  to  short  musket  range,  fifteen  to  twenty  rods 
distant.  Trees  were  broken  off  by  the  cannon- 
shot,  splintered  by  the  shells ;  branches  were 
wrenched  from  the  trunks,  the  hazel-twigs  were 
cut  by  the  storm  of  leaden  hail.  Many  trees  were 
struck  fifty,  sixty,  and  a  hundred  times.  Officers 
and  men  fell  on  both  sides  very  fast.  Folk's 
brigades  came  up,  and  the  united  forces  rushed 
upon  the  batteries.  There  was  a  desperate  strug- 
gle. The  horses  were  shot, —  Schwartz  lost  six- 
teen, Dresser  eighteen,  and  McAllister  thirty. 
The  guns  were  seized, — Schwartz  lost  three,  Mc- 
Allister two,  and  Dresser  three.  The  infantry 
could  not  hold  their  ground.  They  fell  back, 
took  a  new  position,  and  made  another  effort  to 
save  their  camp. 

The  woods  rang  with  the  hurrahs  of  the  Rebels. 
The  ground  was  ihick  with  their  dead  and  wound- 
ed, but  they  were  winning.  They  had  the  largest 
army,  and  success  stimulated  them  to  make  an- 
other attack.  Bragg  reformed  his  columns. 

McClernand's  second  line  of  defence  was  near 
his  camp.  His  men  fought  bravely  to  save  it. 
Folk's  brigades  moved  to  the  front,  and  charged 
upon  the  line,  but  they  were  checked.  McCler- 
nand  charged  upon  them,  and  in  turn  was  re- 
pulsed. So  the  contest  went  on  hour  after  hour. 

Buckland  and  McDowell,  of  Sherman's  com- 
mand, were  too  much  exhausted  and  disorganized 


200  THE  BATTLE. 


The  great  Attack  on  MoClernand'i  Bight.  Beaoregard'i  Ate* 

by  their  long  contest  in  the  morning  to  take  much 
part  in  this  fight.  They  stood  as  reserves.  Bar- 
rett and  Taylor  had  used  all  their  ammunition, 
and  could  not  aid. 

McClernand's  right  was  unprotected.  Bragg 
saw  it,  and  moved  round  Anderson's,  Pond's,  and 
a  portion  of  Stewart's  brigades.  There  was  a 
short  struggle,  and  then  the  troops  gave  way. 
The  men  ran  in  confusion  across  the  field  swept 
by  the  Rebel  artillery.  The  pursuers,  with  ex- 
ultant cheers,  followed,  no  longer  in  order,  but 
^ach  Rebel  soldier  running  for  the  plunder  in 
the  tents.  The  contest  was  prolonged  a  little  on 
the  left,  but  the  camp  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Rebels,  and  McClernand  and  Sherman  again  fell 
back  towards  Wallace's  camp. 

Wallace  was  already  engaged.  The  tide  which 
had  surged  against  Sherman  and  McClernand 
now  came  with  increased  force  against  his  divis- 
ion. Beauregard  aimed  for  the  Landing,  to  seize 
the  transports,  using  his  force  as  a  wedge  to 
split  the  Union  army  off  from  the  river.  He 
might  have  deflected  his  force  to  Grant's  right, 
and  avoided  what,  as  you  will  presently  see,  pre- 
vented him  from  accomplishing  his  object ;  but 
having  been  thus  far  successful  in  his  plan,  he 
continued  the  direct  advance. 

General  Wallace  was  a  very  brave  man.  He 
was  cool,  had  great  presence  of  mind,  and  pos- 


THE  BATTLE.  201 


«ten«r»l  W*U»e.  Hli  Biwry. He  npabe*  the  Brtxk. 

eessed  the  rare  qualification  of  making  his  sol- 
diers feel  his  presence.  He  could  bring  order 
out  of  confusion,  and  by  a  word,  a  look,  or  an  act 
Inspire  his  men.  He  posted  Cavender's  three  bat- 
teries in  commanding  positions  on  a  ridge,  and 
kept  his  infantry  well  under  cover  behind  the 
ridge  Cavender's  men  had  fought  under  the 
brave  General  Lyon  at  Wilson's  Creek  in  Mis- 
souri, and  had  been  in  half  a  dozen  battles.  The 
•creaming  of  the  shells  was  music  to  them. 

From  eleven  till  four  o'clock  the  battle  raged 
in  front  of  Wallace.  The  men  who  had  fought 
their  first  battle  so  determinedly  at  Donelson 
were  not  to  be  driven  now. 

Four  tunes  Hardee,  Bragg,  and  Cheatham 
rushed  upon  Wallace's  line,  but  were  in  each  in- 
stance repulsed.  Twice  Wallace  followed  them 
as  they  retired  after  their  ineffectual  attempts  to 
crush  him,  but  he  had  not  sufficient  power  to 
break  their  triple  ranks.  He  could  hold  his 
ground,  but  he  could  not  push  the  superior  force. 
His  coolness,  endurance,  bravery,  stubbornness, 
his  quick  perception  of  all  that  was  taking  place, 
his  power  over  his  men,  to  make  each  man  a 
hero,  did  much  towards  saving  the  army  on 
that  disastrous  day. 

General  Bragg  says :  "  Hindman's  command 
was  gallantly  led  to  the  attack,  but  recoiled  under 
a  murderous  fire.  The  noble  and  gallant  Jeadei 


202  THE   BATTLE. 


Breckenrfdge  In  front  of  Stout.  The  Attack  at  the  Orchard. 

(Hindman)  fell  severely  wounded.  The  com- 
mand returned  to  its  work,  but  was  unequal  to 
the  heavy  task.  I  brought  up  Gibson's  brigade, 
and  threw  them  forward  to  attack  the  same  point. 
A  very  heavy  fire  soon  opened,  and  after  a  short 
conflict  this  command  fell  back  in  considerable 
disorder.  Rallying  the  different  regiments  by 
my  stall  officers  and  escort,  they  were  twice  more 
moved  to  the  attack  only  to  be  driven  back."  * 

In  the  morning,  when  the  Rebels  commenced 
the  attack,  you  remember  that  Breckenridge,  with 
the  Rebel  reserves,  was  in  the  rear ;  that  he  moved 
east,  and  came  down  towards  the  river  in  front 
of  Stuart's  brigade.  General  Johnston  and  staff 
were  upon  the  hills  which  border  the  creek,  ex- 
amining the  ground  in  front  of  Stuart  and  Hurl- 
burt.  Ross,  Mann,  and  Walker  were  throwing 
shells  across  the  creek. 

General  Breckenridge  rode  up  to  General  John- 
ston and  conversed  with  him. 

"  I  will  lead  your  men  into  the  fight  to-day, 
for  I  intend  to  show  these  Tennesseeans  and  Ken- 
tuckians  that  I  am  no  coward,"  said  Johnston  to 
Breckenridge.f 

The  people  of  the  Southwest  thought  he  was  a 
coward,  because  he  had  abandoned  Nashville  with- 
out a  fight. 

Breckenridge  brought  up  Statham's  and  Bow- 
•  Bragg'i  Report.  t  SteY«n»on. 


THE  BATTLE.  203 


Horlburt  oat  of  Ammunition. 


en's  brigades  against  Hurlburt.  He  formed  hia 
line  in  the  edge  of  the  woods  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  field.  After  an  artillery  fire  of  an  hour, 
he  moved  into  the  centre  of  the  field,  rushed 
through  the  peach-orchard,  and  came  close  to 
Hurlburt's  line  by  the  log-cabin.  But  the  field 
was  fenced  with  fire.  There  was  constant  flash- 
ing from  the  muskets,  with  broad  sheets  of  flame 
from  the  artillery.  The  Rebels  were  repulsed 
with  shattered  ranks. 

Breckenridge  sent  his  special  aid  to  General 
Johnston  for  instructions.*  As  the  aid  rode  up, 
a  shell  exploded  above  the  General  and  his  staff. 
A  fragment  cut  through  General  Johnston's  right 
thigh,  severing  an  artery.  He  was  taken  from 
his  horse,  and  died  on  the  field  at  half  past  two 
o'clock. 

General  Beauregard  assumed  command,  and 
gave  orders  to  keep  General  Johnston's  death  a 
secret,  that  the  troops  might  not  be  discouraged. 

Three  times  Breckenridge  attempted  to  force 
Hurlburt  back  by  attacking  him  in  front,  but 
as  often  as  he  advanced  he  was  driven  back. 
It  was  sad  to  see  the  wounded  drag  themselves 
back  to  the  woods,  to  escape  the  storm,  more 
terrible  than  the  blast  of  the  simoom,  sweeping 
over  the  field.  Hurlburt's  regiments  fired  away 
all  their  ammunition,  and  Prentiss-  who  •-<!  rat 

*    SteTCMODU 


204  THE  BATTLE. 


General  Wallace  mortally  wounded. 


lied  his  men,  advanced  to  the  front  while  the 
cartridge-boxes  were  refilled. 

While  this  was  doing,  General  Bragg  gave  up 
the  command  of  his  line  in  front  of  Wallace  to 
another  officer  and  rode  down  towards  the  river 
in  front  of  Hurlburt  and  Prentiss.  He  says  :  — 

"  There  I  found  a  strong  force,  consisting 
of  three  parts  without  a  common  head ;  being 
General  Breckenridge  with  his  reserve  division 
pressing  the  enemy  ;  Brigadier-General  Withers 
with  his  division  utterly  exhausted,  and  taking 
a  temporary  rest;  and  Major-General  Cheat- 
ham's  division  of  Major-General  Folk's  command 
to  their  left  and  rear.  The  troops  were  soon  put 
in  motion  again,  responding  with  great  alacrity  to 
the  command,  «  Forward ! '  "  * 

Just  at  this  moment  General  Tallace,  on  the 
right,  was  mortally  wounded. 

It  was  like  taking  away  half  the  strength  of  his 
division.  The  men  lost  heart  in  a  moment.  The 
power  which  had  inspired  them  was  gone.  The 
brave  man  was  carried  to  the  rear,  followed  by 
his  division.  The  giving  way  of  this  division, 
and  the  falling  back  of  Prentiss  before  the  masses 
flanking  the  extreme  left,  was  most  disastrous. 
Prentiss  was  surrounded  and  taken  prisoner  with 
the  remnant  of  his  division,  and  Hurlburt's  camp 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Rebels. 

•  Bragg'*  Report. 


THE    BATTLE.  205 


Beanregard't  Prooita  fulfilled.  General  Grant'-  Situation. 

Of  this  movement  G  eueral  Bragg  says :  "  The 
enemy  were  driven  headlong  from  every  position, 
and  thrown  in  confused  masses  upon  the  river- 
bank,  behind  his  heavy  Artillery  and  under  cover 
of  his  gunboats  at  the  Landing.  He  had  left 
nearly  all  his  light  artillery  in  our  hands,  and 
some  three  thousand  or  more  prisoners,  who  were 
cut  off  from  their  retreat  by  the  closing  in  of  our 
troops  on  the  left  under  Major-General  Polk,  with 
a  portion  of  his  reserve  corps,  and  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Ruggles,  with  Anderson's  and  Pond's  brig- 
ades of  his  division."  * 

The  woods  rang  with  the  exultant  shouts  of  the 
Rebels,  as  Prentiss  and  his  men  were  marched 
towards  Corinth.  They  had  possession  of  the 
camps  of  all  the  divisions  except  Wallace's. 
Beauregard  had  redeemed  his  promise.  They 
could  sleep  in  the  enemy's  camps. 

SUNDAY  EVENING. 

Look  at  the  situation  of  General  Grant's  army. 
It  is  crowded  back  almost  to  the  Landing.  It 
is  not  more  than  a  mile  from  the  river  to  the 
extreme  right,  where  Sherman  and  McClernand 
are  trying  to  rally  their  disorganized  divisions. 
All  is  confusion.  Half  of  the  artillery  is  lost. 
Many  of  the  guns  remaining  are  disabled.  Soma 
that  are  good  are  deserted  by  the  artillerymen 

»  Brags'.  Beport 


THE   BATTLE. 


General  Grant  hopeful.          The  Gunboats  open  fire. 


There  is  a  stream  of  fugitives  to  the  Landing,  who 
are  thinking  only  how  to  escape.  There  are  thou- 
sands on  the  river-bank,  crowding  upon  the  trans- 
ports. They  have  woful  stories.  Instead  of  being 
in  their  places,  and  standing  their  ground  like 
men,  they  have  deserted  their  brave  comrades, 
and  left  them  to  be  overwhelmed  by  the  supe- 
rior force  of  the  enemy. 

As  you  look  at  the  position  of  the  army  and  the 
condition  of  the  troops  at  this  hour,  just  before 
sunset,  there  is  not  much  to  hope  for.  Sut  there 
are  some  men  who  have  not  lost  heart.  "  We 
shall  hold  them  yet,"  says  General  Grant. 

An  officer  with  gold-lace  bands  upon  his  coat- 
sleeve,  and  a  gold  band  on  his  cap,  walks  up-hill 
from  the  Landing.  It  is  an  officer  of  the  gunboat 
Tyler,  commanded  by  Captain  Gwin,  who  thinks 
he  can  be  of  some  service.  Shot  and  shells  from 
the  Rebel  batteries  have  been  falling  in  the  river, 
and  he  would  like  to  toss  some  into  the  woods. 

"  Tell  Captain  Gwin  to  use  his  own  discretion 
and  judgment,"  is  the  reply. 

The  officer  hastens  back  to  the  Tyler.  The 
Lexington  is  by  her  side.  The  men  spring  to 
the  guns,  and  the  shells  go  tearirg  up  the  ra- 
vine, exploding  in  the  Rebel  ranks,  now  massed 
for  the  last  grand  assault.  All  day  long  the 
men  of  the  gunboats  have  heard  the  roar  of  the 
conflict  coming  nearer  and  nearer,  and  have  had 


THE  BATTLE.  207 


The  Meet  Colonel  Wetwtor  select*  a  Line. 

no  opportunity  to  take  a  part,  but  now  their  time 
has  come.  The  vessels  sit  gracefully  upon  the 
placid  river.  They  cover  themselves  with  white 
clouds,  and  the  deep-mouthed  cannon  bellow 
their  loudest  thunders,  which  roll  miles  away 
along  the  winding  stream.  It  is  sweet  nrjisic 
to  those  disheartened  men  forming  to  resist  the 
last  advance  of  the  Rebels,  now  almost  within 
reach  of  the  coveted  prize. 

Colonel  Webster,  General  Grant's  chief  of 
staff,  an  engineer  and  artillerist,  with  a  quick 
eye,  has  selected  a  line  of  defence.  There  is  a 
deep  ravine  just  above  Pittsburg  Landing,  which 
extends  northwest  half  a  mile.  There  are  five 
heavy  siege-guns,  three  thirty-two-pounders,  and 
two  eight-inch  howitzers  on  the  top  of  the  bluff 
by  the  Landing.  They  have  been  standing  there 
a  week,  but  there  are  no  artillerists  to  man 
them.  Volunteers  are  called  for.  Dr.  Cornyn, 
Surgeon  of  the  First  Missouri  Artillery,  offers 
his  services.  Artillerists  who  have  lost  their 
guns  are  collected.  Round  shot  and  shell  are 
carried  up  from  the  boats.  Fugitives  who  have 
lost  their  regiments  are  put  to  work.  Pork-bar- 
rels are  rolled  up  and  placed  in  a  line.  Men 
go  to  work  with  spades,  and  throw  up  a  rude 
embankment.  The  heavy  guns  are  wheeled  into 
position  to  sweep  the  ravine  and  all  the  ground 
beyond.  Everything  is  done  quickly.  There  ii 


208 


THE   BATTLE. 


The  Arttnery  by  th«  JUrtne. 


no  time  for  delay.  Men  work  as  never  before. 
Unless  they  can  check  the  enemy,  all  is  lost. 
Energy,  activity,  determination,  endurance,  and 
bravery  must  be  concentrated  into  this  last 
effort. 

Commencing  nearest  the  river,  on  the  ridge 
of  the  ravine,  you  see  two  of  McAllister's  twenty- 


TH»   FlOHT  AT  TEE   RAVUTR. 


1  Union  batteries. 
1  Rebel  batteries. 
8  Ravine. 


4  Onnboftts. 
•  Transport* 


four-pounders,  next  four  of  Captain  Stone's  ten 
pounders,  then  Captain  Walker  with  one  twenty- 
pounder,  then  Captain  Silversparre  with  foul 


THE   BATTLE.  209 


The  Army  oonwlldatod.  Be*or«g*rd'i  Troop*  badly  cat  up. 

twenty-pounder  Parrott  guns,  which  throw  rifled 
projectiles,  then  two  twenty-pound  howitzers, 
which  throw  grape  and  canister.  Then  you  come 
to  the  road  which  leads  up  to  Shiloh  church. 
There  you  see  six  brass  field-pieces;  then  Cap- 
tain Richardson's  battery  of  four  twenty-pounder 
Parrott  guns ;  then  a  six-pounder  and  two  twelve- 
pound  howitzers  of  Captain  Powell's  battery  ;  then 
the  siege-guns,  under  Surgeon  Cornyn  and  Cap- 
tain Madison  ;  then  two  ten-pounders,  under  Lieu- 
lanant  Edwards,  and  two  more  under  Lieutenant 
Timony.  There  are  more  guns  beyond,  —  Tay- 
lor's, Willard's,  and  what  is  left  of  Schwartz's 
battery,  and  Mann's,  Dresser's,  and  Ross's, — 
about  sixty  guns  in  all.  The  broken  regiments 
are  standing  or  lying  down.  The  line,  instead 
of  being  four  miles  long,  as  it  was  in  the  morning, 
is  not  more  than  a  mile  in  length  now.  The  regi- 
ments are  all  mixed  up.  There  are  men  from  a 
dozen  in  one,  but  they  can  fight  notwithstanding 
that. 

The  Rebel  commanders  concentrate  all  their 
forces  near  the  river,  to  charge  through  the  ravine, 
scale  the  other  side,  rush  down  the  road  and  cap- 
ture the  steamboats.  They  plant  their  batteries 
along  the  bank,  bringing  up  all  their  guns,  to  cut 
their  way  by  shot  and  shell.  If  they  can  but  gain 
a  foothold  on  the  other  side,  the  day  is  theirs. 
The  Union  army  will  be  annihilated,  Tennessee 


210  THE   BATTLE. 


The  Rebels  ecocentrate  their  Joroes.       The  Effect  if  they  win 

redeemed.  Buell  will  be  captured  or  pushed 
back  to  the  Ohio  River.  The  failing  fortunes 
of  the  Confederacy  will  revive.  Recognition  by 
foreign  nations  will  be  secured.  How  moment- 
ous the  hour! 

Beauregard's  troops  were  badly  cut  to  pieces, 
and  very  much  disorganized.  The  Second  Texas, 
which  had  advanced  through  the  peach-orchard, 
was  all  gone,  and  was  not  reorganized  during  the 
fight.  Colonel  Moore,  commanding  a  brigade, 
says :  "  So  unexpected  was  the  shock,  that  the 
whole  line  gave  way  from  right  to  left  in  utter 
confusion.  The  regiments  became  so  scattered 
and  mixed  that  all  efforts  to  reform  them  be- 
came fruitless."* 

Chalmers's  brigade  was  on  the  extreme  right. 
What  was  left  of  Jackson's  came  next.  Brecken- 
ridge,  with  his  shattered  brigades,  was  behind 
Chalmers.  Trabue,  commanding  a  brigade  of 
Keniuckians,  was  comparatively  fresh.  Withers's, 
Cheatham's,  and  Ruggles's  divisions  were  at  the 
head  of  the  ravine.  Gibson,  who  had  been  al- 
most annihilated,  was  there.  Stewart,  Anderson, 
Stephens,  and  Pond  were  on  the  ground  from 
which  Wallace  had  been  driven.  As  the  brigades 
filed  past  Beauregard,  he  said  to  them,  "  For- 
ward, boys,  and  drive  them  into  the  Tennessee."f 

The  Rebel  cannon  ooeii.     A  sulphurous  cloud 

•  Colonel  Moore's  Report  t  Ruggle«'»  Report 


THE   BATTLE.  211 


The  Artillery  Tight  The  Attempt  to  cross  the  Bartae. 

borders  the  bank.  The  wild  uproar  begins 
again.  Opposite,  another  cloud  rolls  upward. 
There  are  weird  shriekings  across  the  chasm, 
fierce  bowlings  from  things  unseen.  Great  oaks 
are  torn  asunder,  broken,  shattered,  splintered. 
Cannon  are  overturned  by  invisible  bolts.  Therd 
are  explosions  in  the  earth  and  in  the  air. 
Men,  horses,  wagons,  are  lifted  up,  thrown  down, 
torn  to  pieces,  dashed  against  the  trees.  Com- 
mands are  cut  short ;  for  while  the  words  are  on 
the  lips  the  tongue  ceases  to  articulate,  the  mus- 
cles relax,  and  the  heart  stops  its  beating,  —  all 
the  springs  of  life  broken  in  an  instant. 

Wilder,  deeper,  louder  the  uproar.  Great 
shells  from  the  gunboats  fly  up  the  ravine.  The 
gunners  aim  at  the  cloud  along  the  southern 
bank.  They  rake  the  Rebel  lines,  while  the 
artillery  massed  in  front  cuts  them  through  and 
through. 

Bragg  orders  an  advance.  The  brigades  enter 
the  ravine,  sheltered  in  front  by  the  tall  trees 
above  and  the  tangled  undergrowth  beneath 
They  push  towards  the  northern  slope. 

"  Grape  and  canister  now  !  " 

"  Give  them  double  charges  !  " 

**  Lower  your  guns  !  " 

"Quick!    Fire!" 

The  words  run  along  the  line.  Moments  are 
ages  now.  Seconds  are  years.  How  fast  men 


212  THE  BATTLE. 


the  Attack  of  Chalmeri.  What  Colonel  lagan  iayi  of  it. 

live  when  everything  is  at  stake !  Ah  !  but  how 
fast  they  die  down  in  that  ravine !  Up,  down, 
across,  through,  over  it,  drive  the  withering 
blasts,  cutting,  tearing,  sweeping  through  the 
column,  which  shakes,  wavers,  totters,  crumbles, 
disappears. 

General  Chalmers  says  :  "  We  received  orders 
from  General  Bragg  to  drive  the  enemy  into  the 
river.  My  brigade,  together  with  General  Jack- 
son's brigade,  filed  to  the  right,  formed  facing 
the  river,  and  endeavored  to  press  forward  to  the 
water's  edge ;  but  in  attemping  to  mount  the  last 
ridge,  we  were  met  by  a  fire  from  a  whole  line  of 
batteries,  protected  by  infantry  and  assisted  by 
shells  from  the  gunboats.  Our  men  struggled 
vainly  to  ascend  the  hill,  which  was  very  steep, 
making  charge  after  charge  without  success  ;  but 
continued  the  fight  till  night  closed  hostilities."  * 

Says  Colonel  Fagan,  of  the  First  Arkansas,  of 
Gibson's  brigade  :  — 

"  Three  different  times  did  we  go  into  that 
i  Valley  of  Death,'  and  as  often  were  forced  back 
by  overwhelming  numbers,  intrenched  in  a  strong 
position.  That  all  was  done  that  could  possibly 
be  done,  the  heaps  of  killed  and  wounded  left 
there  give  ample  evidence."  f 

Colonel  Allen,  of  the  Fourth  Louisiana, 
says : — 

*  Chalmers's  Report.  t  Colonel  Fagan'gReport. 


—1  BATTLE.  218 

What  Colonel  Allen  gayg.  Buniet.  The  Rebels  checked  at  lut 

"  A  murderous  fire  was  poured  into  us  from  the 
masked  batteries  of  grape  and  canister,  and  also 
from  the  rifle-pits.  The  regiment  retired,  formed 
again,  and  again  charged.  There  fell  many  of 
zny  bravest  and  best  men,  in  the  thick  brushwood, 
without  ever  seeing  the  enemy."  * 

It  is  sunset.  The  day  has  gone.  It  has  been 
a  wild,  fierce,  disastrous  conflict.  Beauregard 
has  pushed  steadily  on  towards  the  Landing.  He 
is  within  musket-shot  of  the  steamers,  of  the  prize 
he  so  much  covets.  He  has  possession  of  all  but 
one  of  the  division  camps.  He  can  keep  his 
promise  made  to  his  soldiers  ;  they  can  sleep  in 
the  camps  of  the  Union  army.  This  is  his  first 
serious  check.  He  has  lost  many  men.  His 
commander-in-chief  is  killed,  but  he  is  confident 
he  can  finish  in  the  morning  the  work  which 
has  gone  on  so  auspiciously,  for  Buell  has  not 
arrived. 

He  has  done  a  good  day's  work.  His  men 
have  fought  well,  but  they  are  exhausted.  To- 
morrow morning  he  will  finish  General  Grant 
Thus  he  reasons.f 

General  Grant  was  right  in  his  calculations. 
The  Rebels  have  been  checked  at  last.  At  sunset 
they  who  stand  upon  the  hill  by  the  Landing  dis- 
cover on  the  opposite  bank  men  running  up  the 
road,  panting  for  breath.  Above  them  waves  the 

•  Colonel  Allen'i  Report.  t  Beauregard's  Report. 


214  THE   BATTLE. 

Arrival  of  Betntoroementi. The  Joy  of  flrant'i  Men. 

Stars  and  Stripes.  There  is  a  buzz,  a  commotion^ 
among  the  thousands  by  the  river-side. 

"  It  is  Buell's  advance !  " 

"  Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  hurrah  !  " 

The  shouts  ring  through  the  forest.  The 
wounded  lift  their  weary  heads,  behold  the  ad- 
vancing line,  and  weep  tears  of  joy.  The  steamers 
cast  off  their  fastenings.  The  great  wheels  plash 
the  gurgling  water.  They  move  to  the  other 
side.  The  panting  soldiers  of  the  army  of  the 
Ohio  rush  on  board.  The  steamer  settles  to  the 
guards  with  her  precious  cargo  of  human  life  ; 
recrosses  the  river  in  safety.  The  line  of  blue 
winds  up  the  bank.  It  is  Nelson's  division. 
McCook's  and  Crittenden's  divisions  are  at  Sa- 
vannah. Lewis  Wallace's  division  from  Crump's 
Landing  is  filing  in  upon  the  right,  in  front  of 
Sherman  and  McClernand.  There  will  be  four 
fresh  divisions  on  Monday  morning.  The  army 
is  safe.  Buell  will  not  be  pushed  back  to  the 
Ohio.  Recognition  will  not  come  from  France 
and  England  in  consequence  of  the  great  Rebel 
victory  at  Shiloh. 

Through  the  night  the  shells  from  the  gunboats 
crashed  along  the  Rebel  lines.  So  destructive 
was  the  fire,  that  Beauregard  was  obliged  to  fall 
back  from  the  position  he  had  won  by  such  a 
sacrifice  of  life.  There  was  activity  at  the  Land 
ing.  The  steamers  went  to  Savannah,  took  or 


THE   BATTLE.  215 

JUrohlng  up  the  HilL The  Woods  on  fire. The  B»ln. 

board  McCook's  and  Crittenden's  divisions  of 
BuelTs  army,  and  transported  them  to  Pittsburg. 
Pew  words  were  spoken  as  they  marched  up  the 
hill  in  the  darkness,  with  the  thousands  of  wound- 
ed on  either  hand,  but  there  were  many  silent 
thanksgivings  that  they  had  come.  The  wearied 
soldiers  lay  down  in  battle  line  to  broken  sleep, 
with  their  loaded  guns  beside  them.  The  senti- 
nels stood,  like  statues,  in  silence  on  the  borders 
of  that  valley  of  death,  watching  and  waiting  for 
the  morning. 

The  battle-cloud  hung  like  a  pall  above  the 
forest.  The  gloom  and  darkness  deepened. 
The  stars,  which  had  looked  calmly  down  from 
the  depths  of  heaven,  withdrew  from  the  scene. 
A.  horrible  scene  !  for  the  exploding  shells  had  set 
the  forest  on  fire.  The  flames  consumed  the 
withered  leaves  and  twigs  of  the  thickets,  and 
crept  up  to  the  helpless  wounded,  to  friend  and 
foe  alike.  There  was  no  hand  but  God's  to  save 
them.  He  heard  their  cries  and  groans.  The 
rain  came,  extinguishing  the  flames.  It  drenched 
the  men  in  arms,  waiting  for  daybreak  to  come  to 
renew  the  strife,  but  there  were  hundreds  of 
wounded,  parched  with  fever,  restless  with 
who  thanked  God  for  the  rain. 


216  THE   BATTLE. 


Preparation!  for  Monday.        Nelton'a  DirUlon.        Orittenden'i  DlTtiion. 

MONDAY. 

Beauregard  laid  his  plans  to  begin  the  attack 
at  daybreak.  Grant  and  Buell  resolved  to  do  the 
same,  —  not  to  stand  upon  the  defensive,  but  to 
astonish  Beauregard  by  advancing.  Nelson's  di- 
vision was  placed  on  the  left,  nearest  the  river, 
Crittenden's  next,  McCook's  beyond,  and  Lewis 
Wallace  on  the  extreme  right,  —  all  fresh  troops, 
—  with  Grant's  other  divisions,  which  had  made 
such  a  stubborn  resistance,  in  reserve. 

In  General  Nelson's  division,  you  see  nearest 
the  river  Colonel  Ammen's  brigade,  consisting  of 
the  Thirty-sixth  Indiana,  Sixth  and  Twenty-fourth 
Ohio  ;  next,  Colonel  Bruer's  brigade,  First,  Sec- 
ond, and  Twentieth  Kentucky  ;  next,  Colonel 
Hazen's  brigade,  Ninth  Indiana,  Sixth  Kentucky, 
and  Forty-first  Ohio.  Colonel  Ammen's  brigade 
arrived  in  season  to  take  part  in  the  contest  at 
the  ravine  on  Sunday  evening. 

General  Crittenden's  division  had  two  brigades : 
General  Boyle's  and  Colonel  W.  L.  Smith's. 
General  Boyle  had  the  Nineteenth  and  Fifty- 
ninth  Ohio,  and  Ninth  and  Thirteenth  Kentucky. 
Colonel  Smith's  was  composed  of  the  Thirteenth 
Ohio,  and  Eleventh  and  Twenty-sixth  Kentucky, 
with  Mendenhall's  battery,  belonging  to  the 
United  States  Regular  Army,  and  Bartlett's  Ohio 
battery. 


FHE  BATTLE.  217 


MoCook'i  DiTUlon.  Lewis  Wallace's  Dlffcion. 

General  McCook's  division  had  three  brig- 
ades. The  first  was  commanded  by  General 
Rousseau,  consisting  of  the  First  Ohio,  Sixth 
Indiana,  Third  Kentucky,  and  battalions  of  the 
Fifteenth,  Sixteenth,  and  Nineteenth  Regular 
Infantry.  The  second  brigade  was  commanded 
by  Brigadier-General  Gibson,  and  consisted  of 
the  Thirty-second  and  Thirty-ninth  Indiana, 
and  Forty-ninth  Ohio.  The  third  brigade  was 
commanded  by  Colonel  Kirk,  and  consisted  of 
the  Thirty-fourth  Illinois,  Twenty-ninth  and 
Thirtieth  Indiana,  and  Seventy-seventh  Penn- 
.ylvania. 

General  Lewis  Wallace's  division,  which  had 
been  reorganized  after  the  battle  of  Fort  Donel- 
son,  now  consisted  of  three  brigades.  The  first 
was  commanded  by  Colonel  Morgan  L.  Smith, 
and  consisted  of  the  Eighth  Missouri,  Eleventh 
and  Twenty-fourth  Indiana,  and  Thurber's  Mis- 
souri battery.  The  second  brigade  was  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Thayer,  and  contained  the 
same  regiments  that  checked  the  Rebels  at  the 
brook  west  of  Fort  Donelson,  —  the  First  Ne- 
braska, Twenty-third  and  Sixty-eighth  Ohio,  with 
Thompson's  Indiana  battery.  The  third  brigade 
was  commanded  by  Colonel  Whittlesey,  and  was 
composed  of  the  Twentieth,  Fifty-sixth,  Seventy- 
sixth,  and  Seventy-eighth  Ohio. 

Two  brigades  of  General  Wood's  division  ar 


218  THE   BATTLE. 


Be*ar*gard'»  Troops  disorganized.         Hit  Endeavor*  to  reorgaLhe  them. 

rived  during  the  day,  but  not  in  season  to  take 
part  in  the  battle. 

Beauregard's  brigades  were  scattered  during 
the  night.  They  had  retired  in  confusion  before 
the  terrible  fire  at  the  ravine  from  the  gunboats. 
Officers  were  hunting  for  their  troops,  and  soldiers 
were  searching  for  their  regiments,  through  the 
night.  The  work  of  reorganizing  was  going  on 
when  the  pickets  at  daylight  were  driven  in  by 
the  advance  of  the  Union  line. 

Beauregard,  Bragg,  Hardee,  and  Polk  all  slept 
near  the  church.  There  was  no  regularity  of 
divisions,  brigades,  or  regiments.  Ruggles  was 
west  of  the  church  with  two  of  his  brigades.  Tra- 
bue's  brigade  of  Breckenridge's  reserves  was 
there.  Breckenridge,  with  his  other  brigades,  or 
what  was  left  of  them,  was  east  of  the  church, 
also  the  shattered  fragments  of  Withers's  division. 
Gladden's  brigade  had  crumbled  to  pieces,  and 
Colonel  Deas,  commanding  it,  was  obliged  to  pick 
up  stragglers  of  all  regiments.  Russell  and 
Stewart  were  near  Prentiss's  camp.  Cheatham 
was  in  the  vicinity,  but  his  regiments  were  dwin- 
dled to  companies,  and  scattered  over  all  the 
ground. 

Beauregard  had  established  a  strong  rear-guard, 
and  had  issued  orders  to  shoot  all  stragglers. 
The  order  was  rigidly  enforced,  and  the  runaways 
vcro  brought  back  and  placed  in  line.  Although 


THE  BATTLE.  219 


Nel«m  togtaf  the  Attack.  Mendenhall'g  lattery. 

exhausted,  disorganized,  and  checked,  the  Rebels 
had  not  lost  heart.  They  were  confident  of 
victory,  and  at  once  rallied  when  they  found  the 
Unioh  army  was  advancing. 

Look  once  more  at  the  position  of  the  divisions. 
Nelson  is  on  the  ground  over  which  Stuart  and 
Hurlburt  retreated.  Crittenden  is  where  Pren- 
tiss  was  captured,  McCook  where  McClernand 
made  his  desperate  stand,  and  Lewis  Wallace 
where  Sherman's  line  gave  way. 

The  gunboats,  by  their  constant  fire  during  the 
night,  had  compelled  the  Rebels  to  fall  back  in 
front  of  Nelson.  It  was  a  little  after  five  o'clock 
when  Nelson  threw  forward  his  skirmishers,  and 
advanced  his  line.  He  came  upon  the  Rebels 
half-way  out  to  Lick  Creek,  near  the  peach-or- 
chard. The  fight  commenced  furiously.  Beau- 
regard  was  marching  brigades  from  his  left,  and 
placing  them  in  position  for  a  concentrated  attack 
to  gain  the  Landing.  General  Crittenden  had  not 
advanced,  and  Nelson  was  assailed  by  a  superior 
force.  He  held  his  ground  an  hour,  but  he  had 
no  battery.  He  had  been  compelled  to  leave  it 
at  Savannah.  He  sent  an  aid  to  General  Buell 
requesting  artillery.  Mendenhall  was  sent.  He 
arrived  just  in  time  to  save  the  brigade  from  an 
overwhelming  onset.  The  Rebels  were  advancing 
when  he  unlimbered  his  guns,  but  his  quick  dis- 
charges of  grape  at  short  range  threw  them  into 
confusion. 


220  THE   BATTLE. 


Haien'i  Brigade.  Nelson  sends  for  help.  TIrreirs  Battery 

It  astonished  General  Beauregard.  He  had 
not  expected  it.  He  was  to  attack  and  annihi- 
late Grant,  not  be  attacked  and  driven.*  He 
ordered  up  fresh  troops  from  his  reserves,  and  the 
contest  raged  with  increased  fury. 

Nelson,  seeing  the  effect  of  Mendenhall's  fire, 
threw  Hazen's  brigade  forward.  It  came  upon 
the  battery  which  had  been  cutting  them  to 
pieces.  With  a  cheer  they  sprang  upon  the 
guns,  seized  them,  commenced  turning  them 
upon  the  fleeing  enemy.  The  Rebel  line  rallied 
and  came  back,  followed  by  fresh  troops.  There 
was  a  short,  severe  struggle,  and  Hazen  was 
forced  to  leave  the  pieces  and  fall  back.  Then 
the  thunders  rolled  again.  The  woods  were 
sheets  of  flame.f  The  Rebels  brought  up  more 
of  their  reserves,  and  forced  Nelson  to  yield  his 
position.  He  fell  back  a  short  distance,  and  again 
came  into  position.  He  was  a  stubborn  man,  — 
a  Kentuckian,  a  sailor,  who  had  been  round  the 
world.  His  discipline  was  severe.  His  men  had 
been  well  drilled,  and  were  as  stubborn  as  their 
leader. 

"  Send  me  another  battery,  quick !  "  was  his 
request,  made  to  General  Buell. 

Tirrell's  battery,  which  had  just  landed  from  a 
steamer,  went  up  the  hill,  through  the  woods, 
over  stumps  and  trees,  the  horses  leaping  as  if 

*  Beaoregard'i  Report.  t  Nelson'*  Report 


THE  BATTLE.  221 


to  terrific  Kre.  Crlttonden  *nd  MoOook  advance. 

they  had  caught  the  enthusiasm  of  the  com- 
mander of  the  battery.  Captain  Tirrell  had  a 
quick  eye. 

"  Into  position  there.  Lively,  men !  Caisson* 
to  the  rear !  "  were  his  words  of  command.  The 
gunners  sprang  from  the  carriages  to  the  ground. 
The  caissons  wheeled,  bringing  the  heads  of  the 
horses  towards  the  Landing,  trotted  off  eight  or 
ten  rods  and  took  position  shelterd  by  a  ridge  of 
land.  Captain  Tirrell  rode  from  gun  to  gun. 

"  Fire  with  shell,  two-second  fuses,"  he  said  to 
the  lieutenants  commanding  his  two  ten-pounder 
Parrott  guns. 

"  Grape  and  canister,"  he  said  to  the  officers 
commanding  the  four  brass  twelve-pounders.  Its 
fire  was  terrific.  Wherever  his  guns  were 
turned  there  was  silence  along  the  Rebel  lines. 
Their  musketry  ceased.  Their  columns  stag- 
gered back.  All  the  while  Mendenhall  was 
pounding  them.  The  Nineteenth  Ohio,  from 
Crittenden's  division,  came  down  upon  the  run, 
joined  the  brigade,  and  the  contest  went  on  again. 
The  Rebels,  instead  of  advancing,  began  to  lose 
the  ground  they  had  already  won. 

Crittenden  and  McCook  advanced  a  little  later. 
They  came  upon  the  enemy,  which  had  quiet 
possession  of  McClernand's  and  Sherman's  camps. 
Beauregard's  head-quarters  were  there.  The 
Rebels,  finding  themselves  assailed,  made  a  de» 


222  THE   BATTLE. 


Kirk's  Brigade  changes  front. 


perate  effort  to  drive  back  the  advancing  col- 
umns. Rousseau  advanced  across  the  open  field, 
over  the  ground  so  hotly  contested  by  McCler- 
nand  the  day  before.  This  movement  made  a  gap 
between  McCook  and  Crittenden.  Beauregard 
saw  it,  threw  Cheatham  and  Withers  into  the  open 
space.  They  swung  round  square  against  Rous- 
seau's left,  pouring  in  a  volley  which  staggered  the 
advancing  regiments.  The  Thirty-second  Indi- 
ana regiment,  Colonel  Willich  commanding,  was 
on  the  extreme  right  of  McCook's  division.  They 
aad  been  in  battle  before,  and  were  ordered  across 
to  meet  the  enemy.  You  see  them  fly  through  the 
woods  in  rear  of  Rousseau's  brigade.  They  are 
upon  the  run.  They  halt,  dress  their  ranks  as 
if  upon  parade,  and  charge  upon  the  Rebels. 
Colonel  Stambough's  Seventy-seventh  Pennsyl- 
vania follows.  Then  all  of  Kirk's  brigade.  It 
is  a  change  of  position  and  a  change  of  front, 
admirably  executed,  just  at  the  right  time,  for 
Rousseau  is  out  of  ammunition,  and  is  obliged 
to  fall  back.  McCook's  third  brigade,  General 
Gibson,  comes  up.  Rousseau  is  ready  again,  and 
at  eleven  o'clock  you  see  every  available  man  of 
that  division  contending  for  the  ground  around 
the  church.  Meanwhile  Wallace  is  moving  over 
the  ground  on  the  extreme  right,  where  Sherman 
fought  so  bravely.  Sherman,  Hurlburt,  and  the 
nhattered  regiments  of  W.  H.  L.  Wallace's 


THE  BATTLE.  223 


Qtsneral  Wallace's  Attack.  The  grand  Advance.  The  Victory. 

ion,  now  commanded  by  McArthur,  follow  in 
reserve.  Driven  back  by  Nelson,  the  Rebel  forces 
concentrate  once  more  around  the  church  for  a 
final  struggle.  Wallace  watches  his  opportuni- 
ties. He  gains  a  ridge.  His  men  drop  upon  the 
ground,  deliver  volley  after  volley,  rise,  rush 
nearer  to  the  enemy,  drop  once  more,  while  the 
grape  and  canister  sweep  over  them.  Thus  they 
come  to  close  quarters,  and  then  regiment  after 
regiment  rises,  and  delivers  its  fire.  It  is  like 
the  broadsides  of  a  man-of-war. 

The  time  had  come  for  a  general  advance. 
Nelson,  Crittenden,  McCook,  Wallace,  almost 
simultaneously  charged  upon  the  enemy.  It  was 
too  powerful  to  be  resisted.  The  Rebels  gave 
way,  retreated  from  the  camps  which  they  had 
occupied  a  single  night,  fled  past  the  church, 
across  the  brook,  up  through  the  old  cotton-field 
on  the  south  side,  to  the  shelter  of  the  forest  on 
the  top  of  the  ridge  beycnd.  The  battle  was 
lost  to  them.  Exultant  cheers  rang  through  the 
forest  for  the  victory  won. 

If  I  were  to  go  through  all  the  details,  as  I 
might,  and  write  how  Critteuden's  brigade! 
pressed  on,  and  captured  Rebel  batteries;  how 
the  Rebels  tried  to  overwhelm  him  ;  how  the  tide 
of  battle  surged  from  hill  to  hill ;  how  the  Rebels 
tried  to  cut  McCook  to  pieces ;  how  Wallace's 
division  flanked  the  enemy  at  Owl  Creek ;  how 


224  THE  BATTLE. 

How  WUlIch  drilled  his  Regiment    How  Ammen  hoiked  Corn  for  hli  Horn. 

Rousseau's  brigade  fought  in  front  of  McCler- 
nand's  camp ;  how  the  Fifth  Kentucky  charged 
upon  a  battery,  and  captured  two  guns  which 
were  cutting  them  up  with  grape  and  canister, 
and  four  more  which  were  disabled  and  could 
not  be  dragged  off  by  the  enemy ;  how  Colonel 
Willich,  commanding  the  Thirty-second  Indiana, 
finding  some  of  his  men  were  getting  excited, 
stopped  firing,  and  drilled  them,  ordering,  pre- 
senting, and  supporting  arms,  with  the  balls 
whistling  through  his  ranks ;  how  the  men  be- 
came cool  and  steady,  and  went  in  upon  a  charge 
at  last  with  a  wild  hurrah,  and  a  plunge  of  the 
bayonet  that  forced  the  Rebels  to  give  up  McOler- 
nand's  camp  ;  how  Colonel  Ammen  coolly  husked 
ears  of  corn  for  his  horse,  while  watching  the 
fight,  with  the  shells  falling  all  around  him ;  how 
Colonel  Kirk  seized  a  flag  and  bore  it  in  advance 
of  his  brigade  ;  how  Color-Sergeant  William  Fer- 
guson of  the  Thirteenth  Missouri  was  shot  down, 
how  Sergeant  Beem  of  Company  C  seized  the 
flag  before  it  touched  the  ground,  and  advanced 
it  still  farther ;  how  Beauregard  was  riding 
madly  along  the  lines  by  the  church,  trying  to 
rally  his  men,  when  Thurber's  battery  opened, 
and  broke  them  up  again ;  how,  at  noon,  he  saw 
it  was  no  use ;  how  he  drew  off  his  men,  burned 
Mis  own  camp,  and  went  back  to  Corinth,  defeat- 
ed, his  troops  disheartened,  leaving  his  killed  and 


THE  BATTLE.  226 


The  LOMM  Death  of  Captain  Canon. 

hundreds  of  his  wounded  on  the  field ;  how  the 
Union  army  recovered  all  the  cannon  lost  on 
Sunday  ;  —  if  I  were  to  write  it  all  out,  I  should 
have  no  room  to  tell  you  what  Commodore  Foote 
was  doing  all  this  time  on  the  Mississippi. 

It  was  a  terrible  fight.  The  loss  on  each  side 
was  nearly  equal,  —  about  thirteen  thousand 
killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  or  twenty-six  thou- 
sand in  all. 

I  had  a  friend  killed  in  the  fight  on  Sunday, 
—  Captain  Carson,  commanding  General  Grant's 
scouts.  He  was  tall  and  slim,  and  had  sparkling 
black  eyes.  He  had  travelled  all  over  Missouri, 
Kentucky,  and  Tennessee,  had  often  been  in  the 
Rebel  camps.  He  was  brave,  almost  fearless,  and 
very  adroit.  He  said  to  a  friend,  when  the  battle 
began  in  the  morning,  that  he  should  not  live 
through  the  day.  But  he  was  very  active,  riding 
recklessly  through  showers  of  bullets.  It  was  just 
at  sunset  when  he  rode  up  to  General  Grant  with  a 
despatch  from  General  Buell.  He  dismounted,  and 
sat  down  upon  a  log  to  rest,  but  the  next  moment 
his  head  was  carried  away  by  a  cannon-ball.  He 
performed  his  duties  faithfully,  and  gave  his  life 
willingly  to  his  country. 

You  have  seen  how  the  army  was  surprised, 
how  desperately  it  fought,  how  the  battle  was 
almost  lost,  how  the  gunboats  beat  back  the  ex- 
ultant Rebels,  how  the  victory  was  won.    Bean 
10*  o 


226  THE  BATTLE. 


What  Beanregard  telegraphed. The  Southern  Vcwtpuftn. 

regard  was  completely  defeated ;  but  he  tele- 
graphed to  Jefferson  Davis  that  he  had  won  a 
great  victory.  This  is  what  he  telegraphed  •  — 

«  CORINTH,  April  8th,  1862. 
•«  To  THE  SECRETARY  OF  WAR,  RICHMOND  :  — 

"  We  have  gained  a  great  and  glorious  victory. 
Eight  to  ten  thousand  prisoners  and  thirty-six 
pieces  of  cannon.  Buell  reinforced  Grant,  and  we 
retired  to  our  iutrenchments  at  Corinth,  which 
we  can  hold.  Loss  heavy  on  both  sides. 

"  BEAUBEGABD." 

You  see  that,  having  forsworn  himself  to  his 
country,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  send  a  false  de- 
spatch, to  mislead  the  Southern  people  and  cover 
up  his  mortifying  defeat. 

The  Rebel  newspapers  believed  Beauregard's 
report.  One  began  its  account  thus  :  — 

"  Glory  !  glory  !  glory  !  victory  !  victory !  I 
write  from  Yankee  papers.  Of  all  the  victories 
that  have  ever  been  on  record,  ours  is  the  most 
complete.  Bull  Run  was  nothing  in  comparison 
to  our  victory  at  Shiloh.  General  Buell  is  killed, 
General  Grant  wounded  and  taken  prisoner. 
Soon  we  will  prove  too  much  for  them,  and  they 
will  be  compelled  to  let  us  alone.  Our  brave 
boys  have  driven  them  to  the  river,  and  com- 
pelled them  to  flee  to  their  gunboats.  The  day 
is  ours."  * 

*  Captain  Gear. 


THE   BATTLE  227 


S&bbftth  Berrfoe.  What  the  Soldiers  said. 

The  people  of  the  South  believed  all  this ;  but 
when  the  truth  was  known  their  hopes  went  down 
lower  than  ever,  for  they  saw  it  was  a  disastrous 
defeat. 

On  the  Sabbath  after  the  battle,  the  chaplains  of 
the  regiments  had  religious  exercises.  How  dif- 
ferent the  scene  !  Instead  of  the  cannonade,  there 
were  prayers  to  God.  Instead  of  the  musketry, 
there  were  songs  of  praise.  There  were  tears 
shed  for  those  who  had  fallen,  but  there  were 
devout  thanksgivings  that  they  had  given  their 
lives  so  freely  for  their  country  and  for  the  vic- 
tory they  had  achieved  by  their  sacrifice. 

One  of  the  chaplains,  in  conducting  the  ser- 
vice, read  a  hymn,  commencing  : 

"Look  down,  O  Lord,  O  Lord  fbrgiye ; 
Let  a  repenting  rebel  lire." 

But  he  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  a  patriotic 
soldier,  who  cried,  "  No  sir,  not  unless  they  lay 
down  their  arms,  every  one  of  them." 

He  thought  the  chaplain  had  reference  to  the 
Rebels  who  had  been  defeated. 

After  the  battle,  a  great  many  men  and  women 
visited  the  ground,  searching  for  the  bodies  of 
Mends  who  had  fallen.  Lieutenant  Pfieff,  an 
officer  of  an  Illinois  regiment,  was  killed,  and  his 
wife  came  to  obtain  his  body.  No  one  knew 
where  he  was  buried.  The  poor  woman  wan- 
dered through  the  forest,  examining  all  the 


228  THE  BATTLE. 

A  Wife  Marching  for  th»  Body  of  her  Hubaod  The  fcithfol  Dof . 

graves.  Suddenly  a  dog,  poor  and  emaciated, 
bounded  towards  her,  his  eyes  sparkling  with 
pleasure,  and  barking  his  joy  to  see  his  mistress. 
When  her  husband  went  to  the  army,  the  dog 
followed  him,  and  was  with  him  through  the 
battle,  watched  over  his  dead  body  through  the 
terrible  contest,  and  after  he  was  buried,  re- 
mained day  and  night  a  mourner !  He  led  his 
mistress  to  the  spot.  The  body  was  disinterred. 
The  two  sorrowful  ones,  the  devoted  wife  and  the 
faithful  brute,  watched  beside  the  precious  dust 
till  it  was  laid  in  its  final  resting-place  beneath 
the  prairie-flowers. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

EVACUATION    OF    COLUMBUS. 
Oclombu.  The  Bitterier  The  retr  DefeneefT 

THE  Rebels,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  forti- 
fied Columbus,  in  Kentucky,  which  is  twenty 
miles  below  Cairo  on  the  Mississippi  Hiver.  There 
the  bluffs  are  very  high,  and  are  washed  at  their 
base  by  the  mighty  stream.  Cannon  placed  on  the 
summit  have  long  range.  A  great  deal  of  labor 
was  expended  to  make  it  an  impregnable  place. 
There  were  batteries  close  down  to  the  water  under 
the  hill,  with  heavy  guns.  A  gallery  was  cut 
along  the  side  of  the  bluff,  a  winding,  zigzag 
passage,  which,  with  many  crooks  and  turns,  led 
to  the  top  of  the  hill.  They  had  numerous  guns 
in  position  on  the  top,  to  send  shot  and  shell 
down  upon  Commodore  Foote,  should  he  attempt 
to  descend  the  river.  They  built  a  long  line  of 
earthworks  to  protect  the  rear,  intrenchments 
and  stockades, —  which  are  strong  posts  set  in  the 
ground,  making  a  close  fence,  with  holes  here 
and  there  through  which  the  riflemen  and  sharp- 
shooters could  fire. 

They  cut  down  the  trees  and  made   abatis. 


230  EVACUATION   OF   COLUMBUS. 

Mr.  lUary.  How  he  ImlUted  General  Floj-1  HU  Torp*«Ux». 

There  were  several  lines  of  defence.  They 
stretched  a  great  iron  chain  across  the  river,  sup- 
porting it  by  barges  which  were  anchored  in  the 
stream.  They  gave  out  word  that  the  river  was 
effectually  closed  against  commerce  till  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  Confederacy  was  recognize!. 

When  the  war  commenced,  there  was  a  man 
named  Maury,  a  lieutenant  in  the  United  States 
service,  and  who  was  connected  with  the  National 
Observatory  in  Washington.  He  was  thought  to 
be  a  scientific,  practical  man.  He  had  been  edu- 
cated by  the  government,  had  received  great  pay, 
and  was  in  a  high  position  ;  but  he  forgot  all  that, 
and  joined  the  Rebels.  He  imitated  General 
Floyd,  and  stole  public  property,  carrying  off  from 
the  National  Observatory  valuable  scientific  pa- 
pers which  did  not  belong  to  him.  He  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Rebel  government  to  construct 
torpedoes  and  infernal  machines  for  blowing  up 
Commodore  Foote's  gunboats.  He  had  several 
thousand  made,  —  some  for  the  land,  which  were 
planted  around  Columbus  in  rear  of  the  town, 
and  which  were  connected  with  a  galvanic  battery 
by  a  telegraph  wire,  to  be  exploded  at  the  right 
moment,  by  which  he  hoped  to  destroy  thousands 
of  the  Union  troops.  He  sunk  several  hundred 
in  the  river  opposite  Columbus.  They  were 
oblong  cylinders  of  wrought  iron,  four  or  five 
feet  in  length  ;  inside  were  two  or  three  hundred 


EVACUATION    OF    COLUMBUS. 


231 


The  Torpedo  In  Podtlon. 


pounds  of  powder.  Two  small  anchors  held 
the  cylinder  in  its  proper  place.  It  was  air 
tight,  and  therefore  floated  in  the  water.  At 
the  upper  end  there  was  a  projecting  iron  rod, 
which  was  connected  with  a  percussion  gun-lock. 
[f  anything  struck  the  rod  with  much  force,  it 


A  REBEL  TORPEDO. 

would  trip  the  lock,  and  explode  the  powder.  At 
least,  Mr.  Maury  thought  so.  The  above  engrav- 
ing will  show  the  construction  of  the  torpedoes, 
and  how  they  were  placed  in  the  water.  The  let- 
ter A  represents  the  iron  rod  reaching  up  almost 
to  the  surface  of  the  water.  At  B  it  is  connected 
with  the  lock,  which  is  inside  the  cylinder,  and 
not  represented.  C  represents  the  powder.  The 
arrows  show  the  direction  of  the  current. 


232        EVACUATION  OF  COLUMBUS. 

The  Experiment.  The  Workmanship.  What  he  forgot. 

One  day  he  tried  an  experiment.  He  sunk  a 
torpedo,  and  let  loose  a  flat-boat,  which  came 
down  with  the  current  and  struck  the  iron  rod. 
The  powder  exploded  and  sent  the  flat  high  into 
the  air.  Thousands  of  Rebel  soldiers  stood  on  the 
blufls  and  saw  it.  They  hurrahed  and  swung 
their  hats.  Mr.  Maury  was  so  well  pleased  that 
the  river  was  planted  with  them,  above,  in 
front,  and  below  the  town.  He  thought  that 
Commodore  Foote  and  all  his  gunboats  would  be 
blown  out  of  the  water  if  they  attempted  to 
descend  the  stream. 

But  the  workmanship  was  rude.  The  parts 
were  not  put  together  with  much  skill.  Mr. 
Maury  showed  that  his  science  was  not  practical. 
He  forgot  that  the  river  was  constantly  rising  and 
falling,  that  sometimes  the  water  would  be  so 
high  the  gunboats  could  glide  over  the  iron  rods 
with  several  feet  between,  he  forgot  that  the  pow- 
der would  gather  moisture  and  the  locks  become 
rusty. 

It  was  discovered,  after  a  while,  that  the  torpe- 
does leaked,  that  the  powder  became  damp,  and 
changed  to  an  inky  mass,  and  that  the  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars  which  Mr.  Maury  had 
spent  was  all  wasted.  Then  they  who  had  sup- 
posed him  to  be  a  scientific  man  said  he  was  t 
humbug. 

The  taking  of  Fort  Donelson  compelled   the 


EVACUATION   OF  COLUMBUS.  238 

InTlUtlon  to  Tlflt  Columbm.  My  first  Might  on  *  Gunboat 

Rebels  to  evacuate  Columbus,  —  the  Gibraltar 
of  the  Mississippi,  as  they  called  it,  —  and  all 
the  work  which  had  been  done  was  of  no 
benefit.  Nashville  was  evacuated  on  the  27th 
of  February.  On  the  4th  of  March  Commodore 
Foote,  having  seen  signs  that  the  Rebels  were 
leaving  Columbus,  went  down  the  river,  with 
six  gunboats,  accompanied  by  several  transports, 
with  troops,  under  General  Sherman,  to  see 
about  it.  The  Cincinnati,  having  been  repaired, 
was  the  flag-ship.  Commodore  Foote  requested 
me  to  accompany  him,  if  I  desired  to. 

"  Perhaps  we  shall  have  hot  work,"  he  said,  as 
1  stepped  on  board  in  the  evening  of  the  3d. 

"  We  shall  move  at  four  o'clock,"  said  Captain 
Stemble,  commanding  the  ship,  "  and  shall  be  at 
Columbus  at  daybreak." 

It  was  a  new  and  strange  experience,  that  first 
night  on  a  gunboat,  with  some  probability  that  at 
daybreak  I  might  be  under  a  hot  fire  from  a  hun- 
dred Rebel  guns.  By  the  dim  light  of  the  lamp  I 
could  see  the  great  gun  within  six  feet  of  me,  and 
shining  cutlasses  and  gleaming  muskets.  Look- 
ing out  of  the  ward-room,  I  could  see  the  men  in 
their  hammocks  asleep,  like  orioles  in  their  hang- 
ing nests.  The  sentinels  paced  the  deck  above, 
and  all  was  silent  but  the  sound  of  the  great  wheel 
of  the  steamer  turning  lazily  in  the  stream,  and 
the  gurgling  of  the  water  around  the  bow. 


234  EVACUATION   OF   COLUMBUS. 


Approaching  Columbus.  Belmont  Battle-Ground. 

"  We  are  approaching  Columbus,"  said  an  offi- 
cer. It  was  still  some  time  to  sunrise,  but  the 
men  were  all  astir.  Their  hammocks  were  packed 
away.  They  were  clearing  the  decks  for  action, 
running  out  the  guns,  bringing  up  shot  and  shell, 
tugging  and  pulling  at  the  ropes.  Going  on  deck, 
I  could  see  in  the  dim  light  the  outline  of  the 
bluff  at  Columbus.  Far  up  stream  were  dark 
clouds  of  smoke  from  the  other  steamers. 

Commodore  Foote  was  on  the  upper  deck,  walk- 
ing with  crutches,  still  lame  from  the  wound  re- 
ceived at  Donelson. 

"  I  always  feel  an  exhilaration  of  spirits  before 
going  into  a  fight.  I  don't  like  to  see  men  killed  ; 
but  when  I  have  a  duty  to  perform  for  my  coun- 
try, like  this,  all  of  my  energies  are  engaged," 
said  the  Commodore. 

Right  opposite,  on  the  Missouri  shore,  was  the 
Belmont  battle-ground,  where  General  Grant 
fought  his  first  battle,  and  where  the  gunboats 
saved  the  army. 

There  was  a  house  riddled  with  cannon-shot; 
there  was  a  hole  in  the  roof  as  big  as  a  bushel- 
basket,  where  the  shell  went  in,  and  in  the  gable 
an  opening  large  enough  for  the  passage  of  a  cart 
and  oxen,  where  it  came  out.  It  exploded,  and 
tore  the  end  of  the  building  to  pieces. 

One  by  one  the  boats  came  down.  The  morn- 
ing brightened.  We  could  see  men  on  the  bluflj 


EVACUATION   OF   COLUMBUS.  235 

A  Flag  flying  on  the  Rebel  Works.  The  Reconnoiasanc*. 

and  a  flag  flying.  Were  the  Rebels  there  ?  We 
could  not  make  out  the  flag.  We  dropped  a  little 
nearer.  More  men  came  in  sight. 

"  Four  companies  of  cavalry  were  sent  out  from 
Paducah  on  a  reconnoissance  day  before  yester- 
day. Perhaps  the  Rebels  have  all  gone,  and  they 
are  in  possession  of  the  place,"  said  General  Sher 
man. 

"  I  will  make  a  reconnoissance  with  a  party  of 
soldiers,"  he  added.  He  jumped  on  board  his 
tug,  and  went  off  to  get  his  soldiers. 

"  Captain  Phelps,  you  will  please  to  take  my 
tug  and  drop  down  also,"  said  Commodore  Foote. 
"  If  you  are  willing  to  run  the  risk,  you  are  at 
liberty  to  accompany  Captain  Phelps,"  were  his 
words  to  me.  What  is  a  thing  worth  that  costs 
nothing  ? 

We  drop  down  the  stream  slowly  and  cautiously. 

"  We  are  in  easy  range.  If  the  Rebels  are  there, 
they  could  trouble  us,"  says  Captain  Phelps. 

We  drop  nearer.  The  flag  is  still  waving.  The 
man  holding  it  swings  his  hat. 

They  are  not  Rebels,  but  Union  cavalry  !  Away 
we  dash.  The  other  tug,  with  General  Sherman, 
is  close  behind. 

"  A  little  more  steam !  Lay  her  in  quick  !  " 
says  Captain  Phelps. 

He  is  not  to  be  beaten.  We  jump  ashore, 
scramble  up  the  bank  ahead  of  all  the  soldiers, 


236  EVACUATION   OF   COLUMBUfe. 

Raising  the  Flag.    The  Rains.     Rebel  Force.     Rebels  driven  from  Kentucky 

reach  the  upper  works,  and  fling  out  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  to  the  bright  morning  sunshine  on 
the  abandoned  works  of  the  Rebel  Gibraltar ! 

The  crews  of  the  boats  crowd  the  upper  decks, 
and  send  up  their  joyous  shouts.  The  soldiers 
farther  up  stream  give  their  wild  hurrahs.  Around 
us  are  smoking  ruins, — burned  barracks  and  store- 
houses, barrels  of  flour  and  bacon  simmering  in 
the  fire.  There  are  piles  of  shot  and  shell.  The 
great  chain  has  broken  by  its  own  weight.  At 
the  landing  are  hundreds  of  Mr.  Maury's  torpe- 
does, —  old  iron  now.  We  wander  over  the  town, 
along  the  fortifications,  view  the  strong  defences, 
and  wonder  that  the  Rebels  gave  it  up,  —  de- 
fended as  it  was  by  one  hundred  and  twenty 
guns,  —  without  a  struggle,  but  the  fall  of  Fort 
Donelson  compelled  them  to  evacuate  the  place. 
They  carried  off  about  half  of  the  guns,  and  tum- 
bled many  of  those  they  left  behind  down  the  em- 
bankment into  the  river.  The  force  which  had 
fled  numbered  about  sixteen  thousand.  Five 
thousand  went  down  the  river  on  steamboats, 
and  the  others  were  sent  to  Corinth  on  the  cars 

This  abandonment  of  Columbus  freed  Ken- 
tucky of  Rebel  troops.  It  had  been  invaded 
about  six  months,  and  Jeff  Davis  hoped  to 
secure  it  as  one  of  the  Confederate  States,  but 
he  was  disappointed  in  his  expectations.  The 
majority  of  the  people  in  that  noble  State  could 
not  be  induced  to  go  out  of  the  Union. 


CHAPTER    X 

OPERATIONS    AT   NEW   MADRID. 

Tbe  UUndt  in  the  Mteslwippl.  Island  Mo.  It 


THERE  are  many  islands  in  the  Mississippi,  sc 
many  that  the  river  pilots  have  numbered 
them  from  Cairo  to  New  Orleans.  The  first  is 
just  below  Cairo.  No.  10  is  about  sixty  miles 
below,  where  the  river  makes  a  sharp  curve, 
sweeping  round  a  tongue  of  land  •  towards  the 
west  and  northwest,  then  turning  again  at  New 
Madrid,  making  a  great  bend  towards  the  south- 
east, as  you  will  see  by  the  map.  The  island  is 
less  than  a  mile  long,  and  not  more  than  a  fourth 
of  a  mile  wide.  It  is  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above 
high-water  mark.  The  line  between  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee  strikes  the  river  here.  The  cur- 
rent runs  swiftly  past  the  island,  and  steamboats 
descending  the  stream  are  carried  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  the  Tennessee  shore.  The  bank  on  that 
side  of  the  stream  is  also  about  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet  above  high  water. 

The  Rebels,  before  commencing  their  works  at 
Columbus,  saw  that  Island  No.  10  was  a  very 
strong  position,  and  commenced  fortifications 


288  OPERATIONS   AT   NEW   MADKID. 


New  Madrid.  Situation  of  the  Rebel  Troops.  General  Pop*. 

there.  When  they  evacuated  Columbus,  they 
retired  to  that  place,  and  remounted  the  guns 
which  they  had  brought  away  on  the  island  and 
on  the  Tennessee  shore.  They  thought  it  was 
a  place  which  could  not  be  taken.  They  held 
New  Madrid,  eight  miles  below,  on  the  Missouri 
side,  which  was  defended  by  two  forts.  They 
held  the  island  and  the  Tennessee  shore.  East 
of  their  position,  on  the  Tennessee  shore,  was 
Reelfoot  Lake,  a  large  body  of  water  surrounded 
by  hundreds  of  acres  of  impassable  swamp, 
which  extended  across  to  the  lower  bend,  pre- 
venting an  approach  by  the  Union  troops  from 
the  interior  of  the  State  upon  their  flank.  The 
garrison  at  the  island,  and  in  the  batteries  along 
the  shore,  had  to  depend  upon  steamboats  for 
their  supplies. 

The  distance  across  the  lower  promontory  from 
the  island  to  Tiptonville,  along  the  border  of  Reel- 
foot  Lake,  is  about  five  miles,  but  the  distance 
from  the  island  by  the  river  to  Tiptonville  is  over 
twenty  miles. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  General  Pope,  with 
several  thousand  men,  left  the  little  town  of 
Commerce,  which  is  above  Cairo,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, for  New  Madrid,  which  is  forty  miles  dis- 
tant. It  was  a  slow,  toilsome  march.  The  mud 
was  very  deep,  and  he  could  move  scarcely  five 
miles  a  day,  but  he  reached  N3w  Madrid  on  the 


OPEEATIONS   AT   NEW   MADRID. 


239 


Position  of  New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10. 


3d  of  March,  the  day  on  which  we  raised  the  flag- 
on the  heights  at  Columbus. 


ISLAND  No.  10. 

1  Commodore  Foote's  fleet. 

2  Island  No.  10  and  Rebel  floating-battery. 

3  Shore  batteries. 


4  Rebel  boats. 

5  5  Forts  at  New  Madrid. 


240  OPEBATIONS   AT   NEW   MADRID. 

March  of  Pope's  Army.    Forte  at  New  Madrid.    General  MackalTs  Addrw*. 

The  Rebels  had  completed  their  forts.  The  one 
above  the  town  mounted  fourteen  heavy  guns, 
and  the  one  below  it  seven.  Both  were  strong 
works,  with  bastions  and  angles,  and  ditches  that 
could  be  swept  by  an  enfilading  fire.  There  was 
a  line  of  intrenchments  between  the  two  forts,  en- 
closing the  town. 

There  were  five  regiments  of  infantry  and  sev- 
eral batteries  of  artillery,  commanded  by  General 
McCown,  at  New  Madrid.  General  Mackall  was 
sent  up  by  Beauregard  to  direct  the  defence  there 
and  at  Island  No.  10.  When  he  arrived,  he  issued 
an  address  to  the  soldiers.  He  said :  — 

"  Soldiers  :  We  are  strangers,  commander  and 
commanded,  each  to  the  other.  Let  me  tell  you 
who  I  am.  I  am  a  General  made  by  Beauregard, 
—  a  General  selected  by  Beauregard  and  Bragg 
for  this  command,  when  they  knew  it  was  in  peril. 

"  They  have  known  me  for  twenty  years  ;  to- 
gether we  stood  on  the  fields  of  Mexico.  Give 
them  your  confidence  now  ;  give  it  to  me  when  I 
have  earned  it. 

*;  Soldiers  :  The  Mississippi  Valley  is  intrusted 
to  your  courage,  to  your  discipline,  to  your  pa- 
tience ;  exhibit  the  coolness  and  vigilance  you 
have  heretofore,  and  hold  it."  * 

They  thought  they  could  hold  the  place.  A 
Rebel  officer  wrote,  on  the  llth  of  March,  to  his 
friends  thus  :  "  General  Mackall  has  put  the  rear 

•  Rebellion  Record. 


OPERATIONS  AT  NEW  MADRID.  241 

What  a  Bebel  officer  wrote.   Rebol  Gunboat*.   Col.  Plummer  at  Point  PleaMni 

in  effective  defence.  The  forts  are  impregnable. 
All  are  hopeful  and  ready.  We  will  make  this  an 
American  Thermopylae,  if  necessary."  * 

By  this  he  intended  to  say  that  they  would  all 
die  before  they  would  surrender  the  place,  and 
would  make  New  Madrid  as  famous  in  history  as 
that  narrow  mountain-pass  in  Greece,  where  the 
immortal  three  hundred  under  Leonidas  fought 
the  Persian  host. 

The  Rebels  had  several  gunboats  on  the  river, 
each  carrying  three  or  four  guns.  The  river 
was  very  high,  and  its  banks  overflowed.  The 
country  is  level  for  miles  around,  and  it  was 
an  easy  matter  for  the  gunboats  to  throw  shells 
over  the  town  into  the  woods  upon  General 
Pope's  army.  The  Rebels  had  over  sixty  pieces 
of  heavy  artillery,  while  General  Pope  had  only 
his  light  field  artillery ;  but  he  sent  to  Cairo  for 
siege-guns,  meanwhile  driving  in  the  enemy's 
pickets  and  investing  the  place. 

He  detached  Colonel  Plummer,  of  the  Eleventh 
Missouri,  with  three  regiments  and  a  battery  of 
rifled  Parrott  guns,  to  take  possession  of  Point 
Pleasant,  ten  miles  farther  down.  The  order  was 
admirably  executed.  Colonel  Plummer  planted 
his  guns,  threw  up  intrenchments,  and  astonished 
the  Rebels  by  sending  his  shells  into  a  steamboat 
which  was  passing  up  with  supplies. 

•  Memphis  Appeal 


242  OPERATIONS  AT  NEW   MADRID. 

Commodore  Hoffln*.  General  Pope's 

Commodore  Hollins,  commanding  the  Rebel 
gunboats,  made  all  haste  down  to  find  out  what 
was  going  on.  He  rained  shot  and  shell  all  day 
long  upon  Colonel  Plummer's  batteries,  but  could 
not  drire  him  from  the  position  he  had  selected. 
He  had  made  holes  in  the  ground  for  his  artillery, 
and  the  Rebel  shot  did  him  no  injury.  Hollins 
began  at  long  range,  then  steamed  up  nearer  to 
the  batteries,  but  Plummer's  artillerymen,  by  their 
excellent  aim,  compelled  him  to  withdraw.  The 
next  day  Hollins  tried  it  again,  but  with  no  bet- 
ter success.  The  river  was  effectually  blockaded. 
No  Rebel  transport  could  get  up,  and  those  which 
were  at  Island  No.  10  and  New  Madrid  could  not 
get  down,  without  being  subjected  to  a  heavy  fire. 

General  Mackall  determined  to  hold  New  Mad- 
rid, and  reinforced  the  place  from  Island  No.  10, 
till  he  had  about  nine  thousand  troops.  On  the 
llth  of  March  four  siege-guns  were  sent  to  Gen- 
eral Pope.  He  received  them  at  sunset.  Colonel 
Morgan's  brigade  was  furnished  with  spades  and 
intrenching  tools.  General  Stanley's  division 
was  ordered  under  arms,  to  support  Morgan. 
The  force  advanced  towards  the  town  at  dark, 
drove  in  the  Rebel  pickets,  secured  a  favorable 
position  within  eight  hundred  yards  of  the  fort 
The  men  worked  all  night,  and  in  the  morning 
had  two  breastworks  thrown  up,  each  eighteen 
feet  thick,  and  five  feet  high,  with  a  smaller 


OPERATIONS   AT   NEW  MADRID.  243 

^Throwing  up  Intrenchmento. Colonel  BiMell.        How  the  Men  worked. 

breastwork,  called  a  curtain,  connecting  the  two. 
This  curtain  was  nine  hundred  feet  long,  nine 
feet  thick,  aiid  three  feet  high.  On  each  side 
of  the  breastworks,  thrown  out  like  wings  was 
line  of  rifle-pits.  Wooden  platforms  were  placed 
behind  the  breastworks,  and  the  guns  all  mounted 
by  daylight.  Colonel  Bissell,  of  the  engineers, 
managed  it  all.  In  thirty-four  hours  from  the 
time  he  received  the  guns  at  Cairo,  he  had 
shipped  them  across  the  Mississippi  River,  loaded 
them  on  railroad  cars,  taken  them  to  Sykestown, 
twenty  miles,  mounted  them  on  carriages,  then 
dragged  them  twenty  miles  farther,  through  al- 
most impassable  mud,  and  had  them  in  position 
within  eight  hundred  yards  of  the  river!  The 
work  was  done  so  quietly  that  the  Rebel  pickets 
did  not  mistrust  what  was  going  on.  At  day- 
break they  opened  fire  upon  what  they  supposed 
was  a  Union  rifle-pit,  and  were  answered  by  a 
shell  from  a  rifled  thirty-two  pounder. 

It  was  a  foggy  morning.  The  air  was  still,  and 
the  deep  thunder  rolled  far  away  along  the 
wooded  stream.  It  woke  up  the  slumbering  gar- 
rison. Commodore  Hollins  heard  it,  and  imme- 
diately there  was  commotion  among  the  Rebel 
gunboats.  They  came  to  New  Madrid.  Rollins 
placed  them  hi  position  above  the  town  to  open 
fire.  The  fog  lifted,  and  all  the  guns  of  the  fleet 
and  the  forts  began  tc  play  upon  the  breastworks 


244  OPERATIONS  AT   NEW  MADRID. 

The  Cannonade.  CmpUin  Mower.  What  the  Troop*  did. 

General  Pope  brought  up  his  heavy  field  guns, 
and  replied.  He  paid  but  little  attention  to  the 
fort,  but  sent  his  shot  and  shell  at  the  gunboats. 
Captain  Mower,  of  the  First  United  States  artil- 
lery, commanded  the  batteries,  and  his  fire  was  so 
accurate  that  the  gunboats  were  obliged  to  take 
new  positions.  Shortly  after  the  cannonade  be- 
gan, a  shot  from  the  fort  struck  one  of  Captain 
Mower's  thirty-two  pounders  in  the  muzzle  and 
disabled  it ;  but  he  kept  up  his  fire  through  the 
day,  dismounting  three  guns  in  the  lower  fort 
and  disabling  two  of  the  gunboats.  Nearly  all  of 
the  shells  from  the  Rebel  batteries  fell  harm- 
lessly into  the  soft  earth.  There  were  very  few  of 
General  Pope's  men  injured.  They  soon  became 
accustomed  to  the  business,  and  paid  but  little 
attention  to  the  screaming  of  the  shot  and  the 
explosions  of  the  shells.  They  had  many  hearty 
laughs,  as  the  shells  which  burst  in  the  ground 
frequently  spattered  them  with  mud. 

There  was  one  soldier  in  one  of  the  Ohio  regi- 
aients  who  was  usually  profane  and  wicked  ;  but 
he  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  fact  that  so 
few  were  injured  by  such  a  terrific  fire,  and  at 
night  said  to  his  comrades,  seriously :  "  Boys, 
there  is  no  use  denying  it ;  God  has  watched 
over  us  to-day." 

His  comrades  also  noticed  that  he  did  not 
swear  that  night 


OPERATIONS   AT   NEW   MADRID.  245 

flkoenl  Palne's  Division.     Thunder-Storm.     Evacuation  of  New  Madrid!" 

Just  at  night,  General  Paine's  division  made  a 
demonstration  towards  the  lower  fort,  driving  in 
the  enemy's  pickets.  General  Paine  advanced 
almost  to  the  ditch  in  front  of  the  fort.  Prepara- 
tions were  made  to  hold  the  ground,  but  during 
the  night  there  came  up  a  terrific  thunder-storm 
and  hurricane,  which  stopped  all  operations. 

The  Twenty-seventh  and  Thirty-ninth  Ohio, 
and  the  Tenth  and  Sixteenth  Illinois,  were  the 
grand  guard  for  the  night.  They  had  been  under 
fire  all  day.  They  had  endured  the  strain  upon 
their  nerves,  but  through  the  long  night-hours 
they  stood  in  the  drenching  rain,  beneath  the 
sheets  of  lurid  flame,  looking  with  sleepless  eyes 
towards  the  front,  prepared  to  repel  a  sortie  or 
challenge  spies. 

At  daybreak  there  was  no  enemy  in  sight. 
The  fort  was  deserted.  A  citizen  of  the  town 
came  out  with  a  flag  of  truce.  The  General  who 
had  called  upon  his  men  in  high-sounding  words, 
the  officer  who  was  going  to  make  New  Madrid  a 
Thermopylae,  and  himself  a  Leonidas  in  history, 
—  the  nine  thousand  infantry  had  gone !  Two 
or  three  soldiers  were  found  asleep.  They  rubbed 
their  eyes  and  stared  wildly  when  they  were  told 
that  they  were  prisoners,  that  their  comrades  and 
commander  had  fled. 

During  the  thunder-storm,  the  Rebel  gunboats 
and  steamers  had  taken  the  troops  on  board,  and 


246  OPERATIONS   AT   NEW   MADRID. 

What  the  Rebels  ten  behind.    General  Pope'i  Despatch  to  Commodore  Foote. 

ferried  them  to  the  Tennessee  shore  near  Island 
No.  10.  They  spiked  their  heavy  guns,  but  Colonei 
Bissell's  engineers  were  quickly  at  work,  and  in 
a  few  hours  had  the  guns  ready  for  use  again. 

The  Rebels  left  an  immense  amount  of  corn,  in 
bags,  and  a  great  quantity  of  ammunition.  They 
tumbled  their  wagons  into  the  river. 

General  Pope  set  his  men  to  work,  and  before 
night  the  guns  which  had  been  pointed  inland 
were  wheeled  the  other  way.  He  sent  a  messen- 
ger to  Commodore  Foote,  with  this  despatch  :  — 

"  All  right !  River  closed  !  No  escape  for  the 
enemy  by  water." 

All  this  was  accomplished  with  the  loss  of  seven 
killed  and  forty-three  wounded.  By  these  opera- 
tions against  New  Madrid,  and  by  the  battle  at 
Pea  Ridge,  hi  the  southwestern  part  of  the  State, 
which  was  fought  about  the  same  time,  the  Rel> 
els  were  driven  from  Missouri ! 


CHAPTEE    XI. 

OPERATIONS    AT   ISLAND    NUMBER   TKN. 

Commodore  Foote's  Flotilla.  The  Morton. 

/COMMODORE  FOOTE,  having  repaired  the 
\-^  gunboats  disabled  at  Fort  Donelson,  sailed 
from  Cairo  the  day  that  New  Madrid  fell  into  tju"» 
hands  of  General  Pope.  He  had  seven  gunboats 
and  ten  mortars,  besides  several  tugs  and  trans- 
ports. Colonel  Buford,  with  fifteen  hundred 
troops,  accompanied  the  expedition. 

The  mortars  were  untried.  They  were  the 
largest  ever  brought  into  use  at  that  time,  weigh- 
ing nineteen  thousand  pounds,  and  throwing  a 
shell  thirteen  inches  in  diameter.  The  accompa- 
nying diagram  will  perhaps  give  you  an  idea  of 
their  appearance.  You  see  the  mortar  mounted 
on  its  carriage,  or  bed  as  it  is  called.  The  figures 
1,  1  represent  one  cheek  of  the  bed,  a  thick 
wrought-iron  plate.  The  figures  2,  2  represent 
the  heads  of  the  bolts  which  connect  the  cheek 
in  view  to  the  one  on  the  other  side.  The  bed 
stands  on  thick  timbers,  represented  by  3,  and  the 
timbers  rest  on  heavy  sleepers,  4.  Figure  5  repre- 
sents a  thick  strap  of  iron  which  clasps  the  trunion 


248         OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND   NUMBER  TEN. 


or  axis  of  the  mortar,  and  holds  it  in  its  place.  This 
strap  is  held  by  two  other  straps,  6,  6,  all  iron, 
and  very  strong.  The  figure  7  represents  what  is 
called  a  bolster.  You  see  it  is  in  the  shape  of  a 
wedge.  It  is  used  to  raise  or  depress  the  muzzle 
of  the  mortar.  The  figure  8  represents  what  is 
called  a  quoin,  and  keeps  the  bolster  hi  its  place. 
The  figure  9  represents  one  of  the  many  bolts  by 
which  the  whole  is  kept  in  place  on  the  boat. 


AMOBTAB. 

The  boat  is  built  like  a  raft,  of  thick  timbers, 
hiid  crosswise  and  bolted  firmly  together.  It  is 
about  thirty  feet  long  and  twelve  wide,  and  has 
iron  plates  around  its  sides  to  screen  the  men 
from  Rebel  sharpshooters.  The  mortar  is  more 
than  four  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  thicker  than  it 
te  long.  To  fire  a  mortar  accurately  requires  a 
good  knowledge  of  mathematics,  of  the  relation* 


OPERATIONS  AT   ISLAND   NUMBER   TEN.         249 
Mortar-firing.  Captain  Maynadtor.  The  Onm  In  the  IT- 


of  curves  to  straight  lines,  for  the  shell  is  nred 
into  the  air  at  an  angle  of  thirty  or  forty  degrees. 
The  gunner  must  calculate  the  distance  from  the 
mortar  to  the  enemy  in  a  straight  line,  and  then 
elevate  or  lower  the  muzzle  to  drop  his  shell  not 
too  near,  neither  too  far  away.  He  must  calcu- 
late the  time  it  will  take  for  the  shell  to  describe 
the  curve  through  the  air.  Then  he  must  make 
his  fuses  of  the  right  length  to  have  the  shell 
explode  at  the  proper  time,  either  high  in  the  air, 
that  its  fragments  may  rain  down  on  the  encamp- 
ment of  the  enemy,  or  close  down  to  the  ground 
among  the  men  working  the  guns.  It  requires 
skill  and  a  great  deal  of  practice  to  do  all  this. 

The  mortar  flotilla  was  commanded  by  Captain 
Henry  B.  Maynadier,  assisted  by  Captain  E.  B. 
Pike  of  the  engineers.  There  were  four  Masters 
of  Ordnance,  who  commanded  each  four  mortars. 
Each  mortar-boat  had  a  crew  of  fifteen  men ;  three 
of  them  were  Mississippi  flatboatmen,  who  under- 
stood all  about  the  river,  the  currents  and  the 
Band-bars. 

Commodore  Foote's  flotilla  consisted  of  the 
Benton,  16  guns,  which  was  his  flag-ship,  covered 
all  over  with  iron  plates,  and  commanded  by 
Captain  Phelps  ;  the  Mound  City,  13  guns,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Kelty  ;  the  Carondelet,  13 
guns,  Lieutenant  Walke  ;  the  Cincinnati,  18 
guns.  Captain  Stemble ;  the  St.  Louis,  13  guns, 
11* 


250         OPERATIONS   AT   ISLAND   NUMBER   TEN. 
What  the  Southern  People  thought. 

Captain  Dove ;  the  Louisville,  13  guns,  Lieutenant 
Paulding;  the  Pittsburg,  13  guns,  Lieutenant 
Thompson ;  the  Conestoga,  9  guns,  Lieutenant 
Blodgett ;  in  all,  103  guns  and  10  mortars.  The 
Conestoga  was  used  to  guard  the  ammunition- 
boats,  and  took  no  part  in  the  active  operations. 
Commodore  Foote  had  several  small  steam-tugs, 
which  were  used  as  tenders,  to  carry  orders  from 
boat  to  boat. 

The  Southern  people  thought  that  Island  No. 
10  could  not  be  taken.  On  the  6th  of  March  a 
newspaper  at  Memphis  said  :  — 

"  For  the  enemy  to  get  possession  of  Memphis 
and  the  Mississippi  Valley  would  require  an 
army  of  greater  strength  than  Secretary  Stanton 
can  concentrate  upon  the  banks  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  The  gunboats  in  which  they  have  so 
much  confidence  have  proved  their  weakness. 
They  cannot  stand  our  guns  of  heavy  calibre. 
The  approach  of  the  enemy  by  land  to  New  Mad- 
rid induces  us  to  believe  that  the  flotilla  is  one 
grand  humbug,  and  that  it  is  not  ready,  and  doe8 
not  intend  to  descend  the  river.  Foote,  the  com- 
mander of  the  Federal  fleet,  served  his  time  under 
Commodore  Hollins,  and  should  he  attempt  to 
descend  the  river,  Hollins  will  teach  him  that 
some  things  can  be  done  as  well  as  others."  * 

On  Saturday,  the  15th  of  March,  the  fleet  aj> 

*  Memphis  Argiu. 


OPEEATIONS  AT   ISLAND  NUMBEB  TEN.         251 


A  Rebel  Bteamer.  Captain  Charter  What  he  uld  to  the  Rebel* 


preached  ^e  island.  The  clouds  were  thick  and 
lowering.  The  rain  pattered  on  the  decks  of  the 
gunboats,  the  fog  settled  upon  the  river.  As  the 
boats  swopt  round  a  point  of  land,  the  old  river 
pilot,  who  was  on  the  watch,  who  knew  every 
crook,  turn,  sand-bar,  and  all  the  objects  along 
the  bank,  sung  out,  "  Boat  ahead  !  " 

The  sailors  scrambled  to  the  portholes ;  Captain 
Phelps  sprang  from  the  cabin  to  the  deck. 

There  she  was,  a  steamer,  just  visible  through 
the  fog  a  mile  ahead.  It  was  the  Grampus, 
owned  by  Captain  Chester  of  the  steamer  Alps, 
who  had  two  of  the  mortar-boats  in  tow.  He  be- 
longed to  Pittsburg,  and  used  to  carry  coal  to 
Memphis.  When  the  war  broke  out  the  Rebels 
seized  his  steamboats  and  his  coal-barges,  and 
refused  to  pay  him  for  the  coal  they  had  already 
purchased.  The  act  roused  all  his  ire.  He  was 
a  tall,  athletic  man,  and  had  followed  the  river 
thirty  years.  Although  surrounded  by  enemies,  he 
gave  them  plain  words. 

"  You  are  a  set  of  thieves  and  rascals  !  You 
are  cowards,  every  one  of  you  !  "  he  shouted. 

He  took  off  his  coat,  rolled  up  his  shirt-sleeves, 
bared  his  great  brawny  arms,  dashed  his  hat  upon 
the  ground. 

"  Now  come  on  !  I  '11  fight  every  one  of  you, 
you  infernal  rascals  !  I  '11  whip  you  all  !  I 
challenge  you  to  fight  me  !  You  call  yourselvei 


252        OPERATIONS  AT   ISLAND  NTJMBEB  TEN. 
Tiring  at  the  Gnunpw. 


chivalrous  people.  You  say  you  believe  in  fail 
play.  If  I  whip,  you  shall  give  up  my  boats,  but 
if  I  am  beaten,  you  are  welcome  to  them." 

They  laughed  in  his  face,  and  said :  "  Blow 
away,  old  fellow.  We  have  got  your  boats. 
Help  yourself  if  you  can." 

A  hot-headed  secessionist  cried  out,  "  Hang  the 
Yankee ! " 

The  crowd  hustled  him  about,  but  he  had  a  few 
old  friends,  who  took  his  part,  and  he  succeeded 
in  making  his  escape. 

Captain  Phelps  looked  a  moment  at  the  Gram- 
pus. He  saw  her  wheels  move.  She  was  starting 
off. 

"  Out  with  the  starboard  gun !  Give  her  a 
shot  I " 

Lieutenant  Bishop  runs  his  eye  along  the  sights 
of  the  great  eleven-inch  gun,  which  has  been  loaded 
and  run  out  of  the  porthole  in  a  twinkling. 

There  is  a  flash.  A  great  cloud  puffs  out  into 
the  fog,  and  the  shot  screams  through  the  air  and 
is  lost  to  sight.  We  cannot  see  where  it  fell. 
Another  —  another.  Boom ! — boom !  — boom !  — 
from  the  Cincinnati  and  Carondelet.  But  the 
Grampus  is  light-heeled.  The  distance  widens. 
You  can  hardly  see  her,  and  at  last  she  vanishes 
like  a  ghost  from  sight. 

We  were  not  more  than  four  or  five  miles  from 
the  head  of  the  island.  One  by  one  the  boat* 


OPERATIONS  AT   ISLAND  NTJMBEB  TEN.         253 
'  Approaching  the  Iihnd.  A  Pl^rlng.  A  View  of  the  EMmy.~ 

rounded  to  along  the  Kentucky  shore.  The 
Bailors  sprang  upon  the  land,  carrying  out  the 
strong  warps,  and  fastening  us  to  the  trunks  of 
the  buttonwood-trees. 

There  was  t<  Bearing  and  a  miserable  log-hut 
near  by.  The  family  had  fled,  frightened  by  the 
cannonade.  We  found  them  cowering  in  the 
woods,  —  a  man,  his  wife  and  daughter.  The 
land  all  around  them  was  exceedingly  rich,  but 
they  were  very  poor.  All  they  had  to  eat  was 
hog  and  hominy.  They  had  been  told  that  the 
Union  troops  would  rob  them  of  all  they  had, 
which  was  not  likely,  because  they  had  nothing 
worth  stealing  !  They  were  trembling  with  fear, 
but  when  they  found  the  soldiers  and  sailors  well- 
behaved  and  peaceable,  they  forgot  their  terror. 

The  fog  lifts  at  last,  and  we  can  see  the  white 
tents  of  the  Rebels  on  the  Tennessee  shore.  There 
are  the  batteries,  with  the  cannon  grim  and  black 
pointing  up  stream.  Round  the  point  of  land  is 
the  island.  A  half-dozen  steamboats  lie  in  the 
stream  below  it.  At  times  they  steam  up  to  the 
bend  and  then  go  back  again,  —  wandering  back 
and  forth  like  rats  in  a  cage.  They  cannot  get 
past  General  Pope's  guns  at  New  Madrid.  On 
the  north  side  of  the  island  is  a  great  floating- 
battery  of  eight  guns,  which  has  been  towed  up 
from  New  Orleans.  General  Mackall  has  sunk  a 
steamboat  in  a  narrow  part  of  the  channel  on  the 


254        OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND  NUMBER   TEN. 
Sunken  ftetmbott.        The  Mcctan  opea  fire.      The  Challenge  Moeptet. 

north  side  of  the  island,  so  that  if  Commodore 
Foote  attempts  to  run  the  blockade  he  will  be 
compelled  to  pass  along  the  south  channel,  ex- 
posed to  the  fire  of  all  the  guns  in  the  four  bat- 
teries K>n  C  i  Tennessee  hore,  as  well  as  those 
upon  fea  islakd. 

Two  of  the  mortar-boats  were  brought  into 
position  two  miles  from  the  Rebel  batteries.  We 
waited  in  a  fever  of  expectation  while  Captain 
Maynadier  was  making  ready,  for  thirteen-inch 
mortars  had  never  been  used  in  war.  The  largest 
used  by  the  French  and  English  in  the  bombard- 
ment of  Sebastopol  were  much  smaller. 

There  came  a  roar  like  thunder.  It  was  not 
a  sharp,  piercing  report,  but  a  deep,  heavy  boom, 
which  rolled  along  the  mighty  river,  echoing  and 
re-echoing  from  shore  to  shore,  —  a  prolonged  re- 
verberation, heard  fifty  miles  away.  A  keg  of 
powder  was  burned  in  the  single  explosion.  The 
shell  rose  in  a  beautiful  curve,  exploded  five  hun- 
dred feet  high,  and  fell  in  fragments  around  the 
distant  encampment. 

There  was  a  flash  beneath  the  dark  forest-trees 
near  the  encampment,  a  puff  of  white  smoke,  an 
answering  roar,  and  a  shot  fell  into  the  water  a 
half-mile  down  stream  from  the  mortars.  The 
Rebels  had  accepted  the  challenge. 

Sunday  came.  The  boats  having  the  mortars 
in  tow  dropped  them  along  the  Missouri  shore. 


OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND  NUMBER   TEN.         255 
BwxUy  Morning.  Ohvrch  Berrfet.  How  it  WM  eondnetod. 

The  gunboats  swung  into  the  stream.  The  Ben- 
ton  fired  her  rifled  guns  over  the  point  of  land  at 
the  Rebel  steamboats  below  the  island.  There 
was  a  sudden  commotion.  They  quickly  disap- 
peared down  the  river  towards  New  Madrid,  out 
of  range.  During  the  morning  there  was  a  deep 
booming  from  the  direction  of  Point  Pleasant 
The  Rebel  gunboats  were  trying  to  drive  Colonel 
Plummer  from  his  position. 

Ten  o'clock  came,  the  hour  for  divine  service. 
The  church  flag  was  flung  out  on  the  flagstaff  of 
the  Benton,  and  all  the  commanders  called  their 
crews  together  for  worship.  I  was  on  board  the 
Pittsburg  with  Captain  Thompson.  The  crew 
assembled  on  the  upper  deck.  There  were  men 
from  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  and 
Rhode  Island,  from  the  Eastern  as  well  as  the 
Western  States.  Some  of  them  were  scholars 
and  teachers  in  Sabbath-schools  at  home.  They 
were  dressed  in  dark-blue,  and  each  sailor  ap- 
peared in  his  Sunday  suit.  A  small  table  was 
brought  up  from  the  cabin,  and  the  flag  of  our 
country  spread  upon  it.  A  Bible  was  brought. 
We  stood  around  the  captain  with  uncovered 
heads,  while  he  read  the  twenty-seventh  Psalm. 
Beautiful  and  appropriate  was  that  service  :  — 

"  The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation ; 
whom  shall  I  fear  ?  The  Lord  is  the  strength  of 
my  life ;  of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid  ?  " 


256         OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND   NUMBER  TEN. 

The  Cannonade.  The  Mirage. 

After  the  Psalm,  the  prayer,  "  Our  Father  which 
art  in  heaven." 

How  impressive !  The  uncovered  group  stand- 
ing around  the  open  Bible,  and  the  low  voices 
of  a  hundred  men  in  prayer.  On  our  right 
hand,  looking  down  the  mighty  river,  were  the 
mortars,  in  play,  jarring  the  earth  with  their 
heavy  thunders.  The  shells  were  sweeping  in 
graceful  curves  through  the  air.  Upon  our  left 
hand,  the  Benton  and  Carondelet  were  covering 
themselves  with  white  clouds,  which  slowly  float- 
ed away  over  the  woodlands,  fragrant  with  the 
early  buds  and  blossoms  of  spring.  The  Rebel 
batteries  below  us  were  flaming  and  smoking. 
Solid  shot  screamed  past  us,  shells  exploded 
above  us.  Away  beyond  the  island,  beyond  the 
dark-green  of  the  forest,  rose  the  cloud  of  another 
bombardment,  where  Commodore  Hollins  wasi 
vainly  endeavoring  to  drive  Colonel  Plummer 
from  his  position.  So  the  prayer  was  mingled 
with  the  deep,  wild  thunders  of  the  cannonade. 

A  light  fog,  like  a  thin  veil,  lay  along  the  river. 
After  service,  we  saw  that  strange  and  peculiar 
optical  illusion  called  mirage,  so  often  seen  in 
deserts,  where  the  thirsty  traveller  beholds  lakes, 
and  shady  places,  cities,  towns,  and  ships.  I  was 
looking  up  stream,  and  saw,  sweeping  round  the 
wooded  point  of  land,  something  afloat.  A  boat, 
or  floating  battery  it  seemed  to  be.  There  were 


OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND  NUMBER  TEN.        257 

An  optical  D.luaion.  Actirity,  It  vanishes. 

chimneys,  a  flagstaff,  a  porthole.  It  was  seem- 
ingly two  hundred  feet  long,  coming  broadside 
towards  us. 

"  Captain  Thompson,  see  there  ! " 

He  looked  at  it,  and  jumped  upon  the  pilot- 
house, scanned  it  over  and  over.  The  other 
officers  raised  their  glasses. 

"  It  looks  like  a  floating  battery !  "  said  one. 

"  There  is  a  porthole,  certainly !  "  said  another. 

It  came  nearer.     Its  proportions  increased. 

"  Pilot,  put  on  steam  !  Head  her  up  stream !  " 
said  Captain  Thompson. 

"  Lieutenant,  beat  to  quarters  !  Light  up  the 
magazine !  We  will  see  what  she  is  made  of." 

There  was  activity  on  deck.  The  guns  were  run 
out,  shot  and  shell  were  brought  up.  The  boat 
moved  up  stream.  Broadside  upon  us  came  the 
unknown  craft. 

Suddenly  the  illusion  vanished.  The  monster 
three  hundred  feet  long,  changed  to  an  old  coal- 
barge.  The  chimneys  became  two  timbers,  the 
flag-staff  a  small  stick  of  firewood.  The  fog,  the 
currents  of  air,  had  produced  the  transformation. 
We  had  a  hearty  laugh  over  our  preparations  for 
an  encounter  with  the  enemy  in  our  rear.  It  was 
an  enemy  more  quickly  disposed  of  than  the  one 
in  front. 

The  Rebels  in  the  upper  battery  waved  a  white 
flag.  The  firing  ceased.  Commodore  Foote  sent 

Q 


258         OPERATIONS   AT  ISLAND  NUMBER   TEN. 

Rebel  Signal.  Lieutenant  Bishop  and  the  B«bel  Officer. 

Lieutenant  Bishop  down  with  a  tug  and  a  wnite 
flag  flying,  to  see  what  it  meant.  He  approached 
the  battery. 

"  Are  we  to  understand  that  you  wish  to  com- 
municate with  us  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,  sir,"  said  an  officer  wearing  a  gold-laced 
coat. 

"  Then  why  do  you  display  a  white  flag  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  mistake,  sir.  It  is  a  signal-flag.  I 
regret  that  it  has  deceived  you." 

"  Good  morning,  sir." 

"  Good  morning,  sir." 

The  tug  steams  back  to  the  Benton,  the  white 
flag  is  taken  down,  and  the  uproar  begins  again. 
Lieutenant  Bishop  made  good  use  of  his  eyes. 
There  were  seven  thirty-two-pounders  and  one 
heavy  rifled  gun  in  the  upper  battery. 

Commodore  Foote  was  not  ready  to  begin  the 
bombardment  in  earnest  till  Monday  noon,  March 
17th. 

The  Benton,  Cincinnati,  and  St.  Louis  dropped 
down  stream,  side  by  side,  and  came  into  position 
about  a  mile  from  the  upper  batteries.  Anchors 
were  dropped  from  the  stern  of  each  gunboat, 
that  they  might  fight  head  on,  using  their  heavy 
rifled  guns.  Their  position  was  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river.  The  Mound  City  and  Caronde- 
let  took  position  near  the  west  bank,  just  below 
the  mortars.  The  boats  were  thus  placed  to 
bring  a  cross  fire  upon  the  upper  Rebel  battery. 


OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND  NUMBEK  TEN.         269 
All  the  Mortar*  open  Fir*.  The  Bhefla. 

"  Pay  no  attention  to  the  island,  but  direct 
your  fire  into  the  upper  battery ! "  is  the  order. 

A  signal  is  raised  upon  the  flag-ship.  We  do 
not  understand  the  signification  of  the  flag,  but 
while  we  look  at  it  the  ten  mortars  open  fire,  one 
after  another,  in  rapid  succession.  The  gunboats 
follow.  There  are  ten  shells,  thirteen  inches  in 
diameter,  rising  high  in  air.  There  are  handfulfl 
of  smoke  flecking  the  sky,  and  a  prolonged,  in- 
describable crashing,  rolling,  and  rumbling.  You 
have  seen  battle-pieces  by  the  great  painters ;  but 
the  highest  artistic  skill  cannot  portray  the  scene. 
It  is  a  vernal  day,  as  beautiful  as  ever  dawned. 
The  gunboats  are  enveloped  in  flame  and  smoke. 
The  unfolding  clouds  are  slowly  wafted  away  by 
the  gentle  breeze.  Huge  columns  rise  majesti- 
cally from  the  mortars.  A  line  of  white  —  a 
thread-like  tissue  —  spans  the  sky.  It  is  the 
momentary  and  vanishing  mark  of  the  shell 
in  the  invisible  air.  There  are  little  splashes  in 
the  stream,  where  the  fragments  of  iron  fall. 
There  are  pillars  of  water  tossed  upward  in 
front  of  the  earthwork,  which  break  into  spray, 
painted  with  rainbow  hues  by  the  bright  sun- 
shine. A  round  shot  skips  along  the  surface 
and  pierces  the  embankment.  Another  just 
clears  the  parapet,  and  cuts  down  a  tree  be- 
yond. The  air  is  filled  with  sticks,  timbers, 
branches  of  trees,  and  earth,  as  if  a  dozen  thun 


260         OPERATIONS   AT  ISLAND  NUMBER  TEH. 
Bntre  JaUowi.         A  toot  itrik*  the  Benton.         QnaAoox  of  the 

derbolts  had  fallen  upon  the  spot  from  a  cloudless 
sky.  There  are  explosions  deep  under  ground, 
where  the  great  shells  have  buried  themselves  in 
their  downward  flight.  There  are  volumes  of 
smoke  which  rise  like  the  mists  of  a  summer 
morning. 

There  are  some  brave  fellows  behind  that 
breastwork.  Amid  this  storm  they  come  out 
from  their  shelter  and  load  a  gun.  There  it 
comes !  A  flash,  a  cloud,  a  hissing,  a  crash ! 
The  shot  strikes  the  upper  deck  of  the  Benton, 
tears  up  the  iron  plates,  breaks  the  thick  timbers 
into  kindlings,  falls  upon  the  lower  deck,  bounds 
up  again  to  the  beams  above,  and  drops  into 
Commodore  Foote's  writing-desk ! 

All  around,  from  the  gunboats,  the  mortars, 
from  all  the  batteries,  are  flashes,  clouds  of 
smoke,  and  thunderings,  which  bring  to  mind 
the  gorgeous  imagery  of  the  Book  of  Revelation 
hi  the  New  Testament,  descriptive  of  the  scenes 
of  the  Last  Judgment. 

The  firing  ceased  at  sunset.  The  Benton  was 
struck  four  times,  and  the  Cincinnati  once.  No 
one  was  injured  by  these  shots,  but  one  of  the 
guns  of  the  St.  Louis  burst,  killing  two  meo 
instantly,  and  wounding  thirteen. 

When  the  bombardment  was  at  its  height,  Com 
modore  Foote  received  a  letter  from  Cairo,  con- 
taining the  sad  information  that  a  beloved  son 


OPERATIONS   AT   ISLAND   NUMBER    TEN.        261 
A  Talk  with  Commodore  Foote.  His  Care  for  the  Wounded. 

had  died  suddenly.  It  was  a  sore  bereavement, 
but  it  was  no  time  for  him  to  give  way  to  grief, 
no  time  to  think  of  his  great  affliction. 

After  the  firing  had  ceased,  I  sat  with  him  in 
the  cabin  of  the  Benton.  There  were  tears  upon 
his  cheeks.  He  was  thinking  of  his  loss. 

Were  he  living  now,  I  should  have  no  right  to 
give  the  conversation  I  had  with  him,  but  he  has 
gone  to  his  reward,  leaving  us  his  bright  example 
These  were  his  words,  as  I  remember :  — 

"  It  is  a  terrible  blow,  but  the  Lord  gave, 
and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away;  blessed  be  His 
name.  It  is  hard  for  me  to  bear,  but  no  harder 
than  it  will  be  for  the  fathers  of  the  noble  men 
who  were  killed  on  the  St.  Louis.  Poor  fellows  ! 
I  feel  bad  for  the  wounded." 

He  called  the  orderly  who  stood  outside  th« 
cabin. 

"  Orderly,  tell  the  surgeon  that  I  want  to  see 
him." 

The  surgeon  came  in. 

"  Surgeon,  I  wish  you  to  do  everything  you  can 
for  those  poor  fellows  on  the  St.  Louis.  Don't 
omit  anything  that  will  contribute  to  their  com- 
fort." 

"  It  shall  be  done,  sir,"  said  the  surgeon,  as  ho 
left  the  cabin. 

"  Poor  fellows  I  I  must  see  them  myself.  It  is 
a  great  deal  worse  to  have  a  gun  explode  than  to 


262        OPERATIONS   AT  ISLAND  NUMBER   TEN. 
The  Commodore's  Patriotism!!      Hia  f  aith  in  God.      The  Firing  at  Night 

have  the  men  wounded  by  the  enemy's  shot,  foi 
they  lose  confidence.  I  have  protested  again  and 
again  to  the  Department  against  using  these  old 
thirty-two-pounders,  which  have  been  weakened 
by  being  rifled  ;  but  I  had  to  take  them  or  none. 
I  had  to  pick  them  up  wherever  I  could  find  them. 
I  have  tried  my  best  to  get  the  fleet  in  good  trim, 
and  it  is  too  bad  to  have  the  men  slaughtered  in 
this  way.  I  shall  try  to  do  my  duty.  The  coun- 
try needs  the  services  of  every  man.  We  shall 
have  a  long  war.  I  would  like  to  rest,  and  have 
a  little  breathing  spell,  but  I  shall  not  ask  for  it. 
I  shall  try  to  do  my  duty  to  my  country  and  to 
God.  He  is  leading  this  nation  in  a  way  we  know 
not  of.  My  faith  is  unshaken  in  Him.  He  will 
bring  us  out  of  all  trouble  at  last." 

Thus,  in  the  hour  of  battle,  while  attending  to 
his  duties,  while  bearing  up  under  the  intelligence 
that  a  beloved  son  had  died,  he  talked  calmly, 
cheerfully,  and  hopefully  of  the  future,  and  mani- 
fested the  care  and  tenderness  of  a  father  for  tha 
wounded. 

Although  the  gunboats  ceased  firing  at  sunset, 
the  mortars  were  in  play  all  night.  It  was  beau- 
tiful to  see  the  great  flash,  illuminating  all  the 
landscape,  the  white  cloud  rolling  upward  and  out- 
ward,  unfolding,  expanding,  spreading  over  the 
wide  river,  and  the  bright  spark  rising  high  in  the 
air,  turning  with  the  revolving  shell,  reaching  its 


OPERATIONS  AT   ISLAND  NUMBEK   TEN.         268 
Reconnoitring  the  Batteries.  Watching  the  M>rt«-Ariu».  " 

altitude  and  sailing  straight  along  the  arch  of  the 
parabola,  then  descending  with  increasing  rapid- 
ity, ending  in  a  bright  flash,  and  an  explosion 
which  echoes  and  re-echoes  far  away.  The  next 
dz.r  I  went  with  Captain  Maynadier  across  the 
point  to  reconnoitre  the  batteries  on  the  island 
and  watch  the  explosions  of  the  shells.  We 
passed  a  deserted  farm-house,  and  saw  a  squad 
of  Colonel  Buford's  soldiers  running  down  pigs 
and  chickens.  Crossing  a  creek  upon  a  corduroy 
bridge,  we  came  to  a  second  squad.  One  was 
playing  a  violin,  and  several  were  dancing  ;  they 
were  as  happy  as  larks.  We  stood  upon  the  bank 
of  the  river  opposite  the  island.  Before  us  was 
the  floating  battery,  which  was  formerly  the  New 
Orleans  dry-dock.  It  mounted  eight  guns.  There 
were  four  batteries  on  the  Tennessee  shore  and 
several  on  the  island.  We  could  see  the  artille- 
rists at  their  guns.  They  saw  us,  and  sent  a  shell 
whizzing  over  our  heads,  which  struck  in  a  corn- 
field, and  ploughed  a  deep  furrow  for  the  farmer 
owning  it.  We  went  where  they  could  not  see 
us,  and  mounted  a  fence  to  watch  the  effect  of  the 
mortar-firing.  It  was  interesting  to  sit  there  and 
hear  the  great  shells  sail  through  the  air  five 
hundred  feet  above  us.  It  was  like  the  sound  of 
far-off,  invisible  machinery,  turning  with  a  con- 
stant motion,  not  the  sharp,  shrill  whistle  of  a 
rifled-bolt,  but  a  whirr  and  roll,  like  that  which 


264        OPERATIONS    AT  ISLAND    NUMBER    TEN. 


How  some  Officers  went  into  the  Air. 


you  may  sometimes  hear  above  the  clouds  in  a 
thunder-storm.  One  shell  fell  like  a  millstone 
into  the  river.  The  water  did  not  extinguish 
the  fuse,  and  a  great  column  was  thrown  up  fifty 
feet  high.  Another  buried  itself  deep  in  the 
ground  before  it  burst,  and  excavated  a  great 
hole.  I  learned,  after  the  place  surrendered,  that 
one  fell  through  a  tent  where  several  officers  were 
sitting,  playing  cards,  and  that  the  next  moment 
the  tent,  furniture,  officers,  and  fifty  cartloads 
of  earth  were  sailing  through  the  air !  None 
of  them  were  wounded,  but  they  were  bruised, 
wrenched,  and  their  nice  clothes  covered  with 
dirt. 

At  night  there  was  a  storm,  with  vivid  light- 
ning and  heavy  thunder.  The  mortars  kept  up 
their  fire.  It  was  a  sublime  spectacle,  —  earth 
against  heaven,  but  the  artillery  of  the  skies  was 
the  best. 

You  would  have  given  a  great  deal,  I  dare  say, 
to  have  seen  all  this  ;  but  there  is  another  side  to 
the  story.  Can  you  eat  dirt  ?  Can  you  eat  grease 
in  all  its  forms, — baked,  boiled,  fried,  simmered  ? 
Can  you  bear  variegated  butter,  variable  in  taste 
and  smell  ?  Can  you  get  along  with  ham,  hash, 
and  beans  for  breakfast,  beans,  hash,  and  ham  for 
dinner,  and  hash,  ham,  and  beans  for  supper,  week 
after  week,  with  fat  in  all  its  forms,  with  cakes  solid 
enough  for  grape-shot  to  fire  at  the  Rebels,  with 


OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND  NUMBER  TEN.         266 

IndUbnnoe  to  the  Scene*  of  W«r.  Ckneral  Tope  wtnU  StoambotU. 

blackest  coffee  and  the  nearest  available  cow  fifty 
miles  off? — with  sour  molasses,  greasy  griddle- 
cakes,  with  Mississippi  water  thick  with  the  filth 
of  the  great  valley  of  the  West,  with  slime  from  the 
Cincinnati  slaughter-houses,  sweepings  from  the 
streets,  slops  from  the  steamboats,  with  all  the 
miasma  and  mould  of  the  forests  ?  The  fairest 
countenance  soon  changes  to  a  milk  and  molasses 
color,  and  energy  lags,  and  strength  becomes  weak- 
ness under  such  living. 

In  boyhood,  at  the  sound  of  a  bugle,  a  drum, 
or  the  roar  of  a  cannon,  how  leaped  the  blood 
through  my  veins  I  But  it  becomes  an  old  story. 
I  was  quartered  within  a  stone's-throw  of  the  mor- 
tars, which  fired  all  night  long,  and  was  not  dis- 
turbed by  the  explosions.  One  becomes  indiffer- 
ent to  everything.  You  get  tired  of  watching  the 
cannonade,  and  become  so  accustomed  to  the  fire 
of  the  enemy,  that  after  a  while  you  do  not  heed 
a  shot  that  ploughs  up  the  dirt  or  strikes  the 
water  near  at  hand. 

General  Pope  sent  word,  that,  if  he  had  trans- 
ports and  a  gunboat,  he  could  cross  to  the  Ten 
nessee  shore  and  take  the  batteries  in  the  rear. 
The  river  was  very  high  and  the  country  over- 
flowed. Near  New  Madrid  there  is  a  bayou, 
which  is  the  outlet  of  a  small  lake.  It  was  deter- 
mined to  cut  a  canal  through  the  forest  to  the 
lake.  Colonel  Bissell  with  his  regiment  of  engi- 
is 


OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND  NUMBER   TEN. 


What  the  Englneera  did.       The  Bombardment  kept  up.        A  wild  NIgk*. 

neers  went  to  work.  Four  steamboats  were  fitted 
up,  two  barges,  with  cannon  on  board,  were  taken 
in  tow,  and  the  expedition  started.  They  sailed 
over  a  corn-field,  where  the  tall  stalks  were  waving 
and  swinging  in  the  water,  steamed  over  fences, 
and  came  to  the  woods.  There  were  great  trees, 
which  must  be  cut  away.  The  engineers  rigged 
their  saws  for  work  under  water.  The  path  was 
fifty  feet  wide  and  the  trees  were  cut  off  four 
feet  below  the  surface.  In  eight  days  they  cut 
their  way  to  New  Madrid,  a  distance  of  twelve 
miles.  In  one  place  they  cut  off  seventy-five 
trees,  all  of  which  were  more  than  two  feet  in 
diameter. 

While  this  was  doing,  Commodore  Poote  kept 
the  Rebels  awake  by  a  regular  and  continuous 
bombardment,  mainly  upon  the  upper  battery. 
He  determined  to  capture  it. 

On  the  night  of  the  1st  of  April,  an  armed 
expedition  is  fitted  out  from  the  squadron  and 
the  land  forces.  There  are  five  boats,  manned 
by  picked  crews  from  the  gunboats,  carrying  forty 
men  of  the  Forty-second  Illinois,  under  command 
of  Colonel  Roberts.  The  party  numbers  one 
hundred.  It  is  a  wild  night.  The  wind  blows  a 
gale  from  the  south,  swaying  the  great  trees  of 
the  forest  and  tossing  up  waves  upon  the  swift- 
running  river,  which  boils,  bubbles,  dashes,  and 
foams  in  the  storm.  There  are  vivid  lightning- 


OPERATIONS   AT  ISLAND   NUMBEB  TEN.         267 
AD  Expedition.       The  BoaU  approach  the  Battery.        8pUdag  Ue  Chua. 

flashes,  growls  and  rolls  of  deep,  heavy  thunder. 
The  boats  cast  off  from  the  fleet.  The  oars 
have  been  muffled.  No  words  are  spoken.  The 
soldiers  sit,  each  with  his  gun  half  raised  to  his 
shoulder  and  his  hand  upon  the  lock.  The  spray 
dashes  over  them,  sheets  of  flame  flash  in  their 
faces.  All  the  landscape  for  a  moment  is  as  light 
as  day,  and  then  all  is  pitch  darkness. 

Onward  faster  and  faster  they  sweep,  driven  by 
the  strong  arms  of  the  rowers  and  the  current. 
It  is  a  stealthy,  noiseless,  rapid,  tempestuous, 
dangerous,  daring  enterprise.  They  are  tossed 
by  the  waves,  but  they  glide  with  the  rapidity  of 
a  race-horse.  Two  sentinels  stand  upon  the  par- 
apet. A  few  rods  in  rear  is  a  regiment  of  Rebels. 
A  broad  lightning-flash  reveals  the  descending 
boats.  The  sentinels  fire  their  guns,  but  they 
are  mimic  flashes. 

"  Lay  in  quick  !  "  shouts  Colonel  Roberts. 

The  oars  bend  in  the  row-locks.  A  stroke,  and 
they  are  beside  the  parapet,  climbing  up  the  slip- 
pery bank.  The  sentinels  run.  There  is  a  rat- 
tling fire  from  pistols  and  muskets  ;  but  the  shots 
fall  harmlessly  in  the  forest.  A  moment,  —  and 
all  the  guns  are  spiked.  There  is  a  commotion 
in  the  woods.  The  sleeping  Rebels  are  astir. 
They  do  not  rally  to  drive  back  the  invaders, 
Hut  are  fleeing  in  the  darkness. 

Colonel  Roberts  walks  front  gun   to  gun,  to 


2t>8         OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND  NUMBER   TEN. 
TheKHorn.   Chagrin  of  M*ck*lL  The  Owoodelet  rone  put  the  B»tt«rlefc  ' 

see  if  the  work  has  been  effectually  accom- 
plished. 

«  All  right !  AU  aboard  !  Push  off! "  He  is 
the  last  to  leave.  The  boats  head  up-stream. 
The  rowers  bend  to  their  oars.  In  a  minute  they 
are  beyond  musket  range.  Their  work  is  accom- 
plished, and  there  will  be  no  more  firing  from 
that  six-gun  battery.  Now  the  gunboats  can 
move  nearer  and  begin  their  work  upon  the 
remaining  batteries. 

In  the  morning  General  Mackall  was  much 
chagrined  when  he  found  out  what  had  been 
done  by  the  Yankees.  It  is  said  he  used  some 
hard  words.  He  flew  into  a  rage,  and  grew  red 
in  the  face,  which  did  not  help  the  matter  in  the 
least. 

At  midnight,  on  the  night  of  the  3d  of  April, 
the  Carondelet,  commanded  by  Captain  Walke, 
ran  past  the  batteries  and  the  island.  It  was 
a  dark,  stormy  night.  But  the  sentinels  saw 
her  coming  down  in  the  darkness,  and  every 
cannon  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  vessel. 
Shells  burst  around  her ;  solid  shot,  grape,  and 
canister  swept  over  her ;  but  she  was  not  struck, 
although  exposed  to  the  terrific  fire  over  thirty 
minutes.  We  who  remained  with  the  fleet 
waited  in  breathless  suspense  to  hear  her  three 
signal-guns,  which  were  to  be  fired  if  she  passed 
safelj ,  They  came, — boom  I  boom !  boom  !  She 


OPERATIONS   AT  ISLAND  NUMBER   TEN.         269 
The  Carondalet  illenoet  the  Rebel  Batterie*.       General  Poje'i  Operation*. 

was  safe.    We  cheered,  hurrahed,  and  lay  down 
to  sleep,  to  dream  it  all  over  again. 

The  Carondelet  reached  New  Madrid.  The 
soldiers  of  General  Pope's  army  rushed  to  the 
bank,  and  gave  way  to  the  wildest  enthusiasm. 

"  Three  cheers  for  the  Carondelet !  "  shouted 
one.     Their  caps  went  into  the  air,  they  swung 
their  arms,  and  danced  in  ecstasy. 
"  Three  more  for  Commodore  Foote !  " 
"  Now  three  more  for  Captain  Walke !  " 
"  Three  more  for  the  Navy  !  " 
"  Three  more  for  the  Cabin -Boy  !  " 
So   they  went  on  cheering  and  shouting  for 
everything  till  they  were  hoarse. 

The  next  day  the  Carondelet  went  down  the 
river  as  far  as  Point  Pleasant,  had  an  engage- 
ment with  several  batteries  on  the  Tennessee 
shore,  silenced  them,  landed  and  spiked  the  guns. 
The  next  night  the  Pittsburg,  Captain  Thompson 
ran  the  blockade  safely.  The  four  steamboats 
which  had  worked  their  way  through  the  canal 
were  all  ready.  The  Tenth,  Sixteenth,  Twenty- 
first,  and  Fifty-first  Illinois  regiments  were  taken 
on  board.  The  Rebels  had  a  heavy  battery  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  at  a  place  called  Wat- 
Bon's  Landing.  The  Carondelet  and  Pittsburg 
went  ahead,  opened  fire,  and  silenced  it.  The 
steamers  advanced.  The  Rebels  saw  the  prepara- 
tions and  fled  towards  Tiptonville.  By  midnight. 


270         OPERATIONS   AT   ISLAND  NUMBER  TEN. 


night  of  the  Kebeli.  The  Surrender. 

General  Pope  had  all  his  troops  on  the  Tennes 
see  shore.  General  Paine,  commanding  those  in 
advance,  pushed  on  towards  Tiptonville  and  took 
possession  of  all  the  deserted  camps.  The  Rebels 
had  fled  in  confusion,  casting  away  their  guns, 
knapsacks,  clothing,  everything,  to  escape.  When 
the  troops  in  the  batteries  heard  what  was  going 
on  in  their  rear,  they  also  fled  towards  Tiptonville. 
General  Pope  came  up  with  them  the  next  morn- 
ing and  captured  all  who  had  not  escaped.  Gen- 
eral Mackall  and  two  other  generals,  nearly  seven 
thousand  prisoners,  one  hundred  and  twenty-three 
pieces  of  artillery,  seven  thousand  small  arms,  and 
an  immense  amount  of  ammunition  and  supplies 
fell  into  the  hands  of  General  Pope.  The  troops 
on  the  island,  finding  that  they  were  deserted, 
surrendered  to  Commodore  Foote.  It  was  almost 
a  bloodless  victory,  but  one  of  great  importance, 
opening  the  Mississippi  River  down  to  Fort  Pil- 
low, forty  miles  above  Memphis. 

When  the  State  of  Tennessee  was  carried  out 
of  the  Union  by  the  treachery  of  Governor  Harris, 
and  other  men  in  high  official  position,  there  were 
some  men  in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  as  well 
as  the  eastern,  who  remained  loyal.  Those  who 
were  suspected  of  loving  the  Union  suffered  ter 
rible  persecutions.  Among  them  was  a  citizen 
of  Purdy.  His  name  was  Hurst.  He  told  me 
the  story  of  his  wrongs. 


OPERATIONS   AT   ISLAND  NUMBER  TEN.        271 
The  Vigilance  Committee  and  Mr.  Hunt. 

Soon  after  the  State  seceded,  he  was  visited  by 
&  number  of  men  who  called  themselves  a  vigi- 
lance committee.  They  were  fierce-looking  fel- 
lows, armed  with  pistols  and  knives. 

"  We  want  you  to  come  with  us,"  said  the 
leader  of  the  gang. 

"  What  do  you  want  of  me  ?  " 

"  We  will  let  you  know  when  you  get  there.*' 

Mr.  Hurst  knew  that  they  wanted  to  take  him 
before  their  own  self-elected  court,  and  went  with- 
out hesitation. 

He  was  questioned,  but  would  not  commit  him- 
self by  any  positive  answer,  and,  as  they  could  not 
prove  he  was  in  favor  of  the  Union,  they  allowed 
him  to  go  home. 

But  the  ruffians  were  not  satisfied,  and  in  a  few 
days  had  him  up  again.  They  tried  hard  to  prove 
that  he  was  opposed  to  the  Confederacy,  but  he 
had  kept  about  his  own  business,  had  refrained 
from  talking,  and  they  could  not  convict  him. 
They  allowed  him  to  go  for  several  months.  One 
day,  in  September,  1861,  while  at  work  in  his 
field,  the  ruffians  came  again.  Their  leader  had 
a  red  face,  bloated  with  whiskey,  chewed  tobacco, 
had  two  pistols  in  his  belt,  and  a  long  knife  in  a 
sheath.  He  wore  a  slouched  hat,  and  was  a  vil- 
lanous-looking  fellow. 

"  Come,  you  scoundrel.  We  will  fix  you  thii 
time,"  said  the  captain  of  the  band. 


272         OPERATIONS  AT   ISLAND   NUMBEB   TEN. 
Mr.  Hont't  third  Arrest.     Wh»t  the  Bnffians  ukt     He  U  put  In  »  C»f*.  ~ 

"  What  do  you  want  of  me  ?  " 

"You  are  an  Abolitionist,  —  a  Yankee  spy. 
That 's  what  you  are.  We  '11  make  you  stretch 
hemp  this  time,"  they  said,  seizing  him  and 
marching  him  into  town,  with  their  pistols 
cocked.  Six  or  eight  of  them  were  ready  to 
shoot  him  if  he  should  attempt  to  escape.  They 
called  all  who  did  not  go  for  secession  Aboli- 
tionists. 

"  I  am  not  an  Abolitionist,"  said  Hunt 

"  None  of  your  sass.  We  know  what  you  are, 
and  if  you  don't  hold  your  jaw,  we  will  stop  it  for 
you." 

They  marched  him  through  the  village,  and  the 
whole  population  turned  out  to  see  him.  He  was 
taken  to  the  jail,  and  thrust  into  a  cage,  so  small 
that  he  could  not  lie  down,  —  a  vile,  filthy  place. 
The  jailer  was  a  brutal,  hard-hearted  man,  —  a 
rabid  secessionist.  He  chuckled  with  delight 
when  he  turned  the  key  on  Hurst.  He  was 
kept  in  the  cage  two  days,  and  then  taken  to 
Nashville,  where  he  was  tried  before  a  military 
court. 

He  was  charged  with  being  opposed  to  the 
Confederacy,  and  in  favor  of  the  Union;  also 
that  he  was  a  spy. 

Among  his  accusers  were  some  secessionists 
who  owed  him  a  grudge.  They  invented  lies, 
•wore  that  Hurst  was  in  communication  with 


OPERATIONS  AT   ISLAND  NUMBER  TEN.        273 
He  to  condemned  to  be  hung.  Allowed  to  go  Home. 

the  Yankees,  and  gave  them  information  of  all 
the  movements  of  the  Rebels.  This  was  months 
before  General  Grant  attacked  Donelson,  and 
Hurst  was  two  hundred  miles  from  the  nearest 
post  of  the  Union  army ;  but  such  was  the  hatred 
of  the  secessionists,  and  they  were  so  bloodthirsty, 
that  they  were  ready  to  hang  all  who  did  not 
hurrah  for  Jeff  Davis  and  the  Confederacy.  He 
was  far  from  home.  He  was  not  permitted  to 
have  any  witnesses,  and  his  own  word  was  of  no 
value  in  their  estimation.  He  was  condemned  to 
be  hung  as  a  spy. 

They  took  him  out  to  a  tree,  put  the  rope  round 
his  neck,  when  some  of  his  old  acquaintances,  who 
were  not  quite  so  hardened  as  his  accusers,  said 
that  the  evidence  was  not  sufficient  to  hang  him. 
They  took  him  back  to  the  court.  He  came  un 
der  heavy  bonds  to  report  himself  often  and  prove 
his  whereabouts. 

He  was  released,  and  went  home,  but  his  old 
enemies  followed  him,  and  dogged  him  day  and 
night. 

He  discovered  that  he  was  to  be  again  arrested. 
He  told  his  boy  to  harness  his  horse  quick,  and 
take  him  to  a  side  street,  near  an  apothecary's 
shop.  He  looked  out  of  the  window,  and  saw  a 
file  of  soldiers  approaching  to  arrest  him.  He 
slipped  out  of  the  back  door,  gained  the  street, 
Mid  walked  boldly  through  the  town. 

is*  • 


274         OPERATIONS   AT  ISLAND   NUMBEB   TEN. 

The  Soldier*  after  him.  How  he  we»p«d. 

"  There  he  goes ! "  said  a  fellow  smoking  a 
cigar  on  the  steps  of  the  hotel.  A  crowd  rushed 
out  of  the  bar-room  to  see  him.  They  knew  that 
he  was  to  be  arrested ;  they  expected  he  would 
be  hung. 

As  he  walked  into  the  apothecary's  shop,  he 
§aw  his  boy  coming  down  the  alley  with  his 
horse.  He  did  not  dare  to  go  down  the  alley 
to  meet  him,  for  the  crowd  would  see  his  attempt 
to  escape.  They  saw  him  enter  the  door,  and 
rushed  across  the  street  to  see  the  fun  when  the 
soldiers  should  arrive. 

"  Come  in  here,"  he  said  to  the  apothecary,  as 
he  stepped  into  a  room  in  the  rear,  from  which  • 
door  opened  into  the  alley. 

The  apothecary  followed  him,  wondering  what 
he  wanted. 

Hurst  drew  a  pistol  from  his  pocket,  and  held 
it  to  the  head  of  the  apothecary,  and  said,  "  If 
you  make  any  noise,  I  will  blow  your  brains 
out !  "  He  opened  the  door,  and  beckoned  to  his 
boy,  who  rode  up.  "  I  have  four  friends  who  are 
aiding  me  to  escape,"  said  he.  "  They  will  be  the 
death  of  you  if  you  give  the  alarm ;  but  if  you  re- 
main quiet,  they  will  not  harm  you."  He  sprang 
upon  his  horse,  galloped  down  the  alley,  and  was 
gone. 

The  apothecary  dared  not  give  the  alarm,  and 
was  very  busy  about  his  business  when  the  soldien 
to  arrest  Hurst. 


OPERATIONS   AT   ISLAND  NUMBEE   TEN.         27o 
Hb  Beturn  with  the  Union  Army.  How  the  Jailer  got  into  Jan. 

When  they  found  he  was  gone,  they  started  in 
pursuit,  but  were  not  able  to  overtake  him.  He 
made  his  way  to  the  woods,  and  finally  reached 
the  Union  army. 

When  General  Lewis  Wallace's  division  entered 
the  town  of  Purdy,  Hurst  accompanied  it.  He 
asked  General  Wallace  for  a  guard,  to  make  an 
important  arrest.  His  request  was  granted.  He 
went  to  the  jail,  found  the  jailer,  and  demanded 
his  keys.  The  jailer  gave  them  up.  Hurst  un- 
locked the  cage,  and  there  he  found  a  half-starved 
slave,  who  had  been  put  in  for  no  crime,  but 
to  keep  him  from  running  away  to  the  Union 
army. 

He  released  the  slave  and  told  him  to  go  where 
he  pleased.  The  colored  man  could  hardly  stand, 
he  was  so  cramped  and  exhausted  by  his  long 
confinement  and  want  of  food. 

"  Step  in  there !  "  said  Hurst  to  the  jailer.  The 
jailer  shrunk  back. 

"  Step  in  there,  you  scoundrel ! "  said  Hurst, 
more  determinedly. 

"You  don't  mean  to  put  me  in  there,  Hurst!  " 
said  the  jailer,  almost  whining. 

"  Step  in,  I  say,  or  I'll  let  daylight  through 
you !  "  He  seized  a  gun  from  one  of  the  soldiers 
and  pricked  the  jailer  a  little  with  the  bayonet,  to 
let  hi™  know  that  he  was  hi  earnest.  The  other 
soldiers  fenced  him  round  with  a  glittering  line 


*76         OPERATIONS   AT  ISLAND   NUMBER   TEN. 

HBI*  >»«.  the  Kay.  The  0»«*-  The  JoUy  Irlihman." 

of  sharp  steel  points.  They  chuckled,  and 
thought  it  capital  fun. 

The  jailer  stepped  in,  whining  and  begging, 
and  saying  that  he  never  meant  to  harm  Hurst. 
Having  got  him  inside,  Hurst  locked  the  door, 
put  the  key  in  his  pocket,  dismissed  the  soldiers, 
and  went  away.  He  was  gone  two  days,  and 
when  he  returned,  had  lost  the  key  ! 

The  cage  was  built  of  oak  logs,  and  bolted  so 
firmly  with  iron  that  it  took  half  a  day,  with 
axes,  to  get  the  jailer  out.  He  never  troubled 
Hurst  again,  who  joined  the  Union  army  as  a 
scout,  and  did  excellent  service,  for  he  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  country. 

While  operations  were  going  on  at  Island  No, 
10, 1  went  up  the  river  one  day,  and  visited  the 
hospitals  at  Mound  City  and  Paducah.  In  one 
of  the  wards  a  surgeon  was  dressing  the  arm  of  a 
brave  young  Irishman,  who  was  very  jolly.  His 
arm  had  been  torn  by  a  piece  of  shell,  but  he  did 
not  mind  it  much.  The  surgeon  was  performing 
an  operation  which  was  painful. 

"  Does  it  hurt,  Patrick  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Ah !  Doctor,  ye  nadent  ask  such  a  question 
as  that ;  but  if  ye  '11  just  give  me  a  good  drink  of 
whiskey,  ye  may  squeeze  it  all  day  long." 

He  made  up  such  a  comical  face  that  the  sick 
and  wounded  all'  around  him  laughed.  It  did 
them  good,  and  Patrick  knew  it,  and  so,  in  the 


OPERATIONS  AT  ISLAND  NIMBEB   TEN.        277 
The  Young  Bharptbooter.       Why  he  joined  the  Army.         Hte  Kzaaaple. 

kindness  of  his  heart,  he  kept  on  making  up 
faces,  and  never  uttered  a  word  of  complaint. 

"  He  is  a  first-rate  patient,"  said  the  surgeon 
as  we  passed  along.  "  He  keeps  up  good  spirits  all 
the  time,  and  that  helps  all  the  rest." 

In  another  part  of  the  hospital  was  one  of 
Birges's  sharpshooters,  who  did  such  excellent 
service,  you  remember,  at  Fort  Donelson.  He 
was  a  brave  and  noble  boy.  There  were  several 
kind  ladies  taking  care  of  the  sick.  Their  pres- 
ence was  like  sunshine.  Wherever  they  walked 
the  eyes  of  the  sufferers  followed  them.  One  of 
these  ladies  thus  speaks  of  little  Frankie  Bragg:  — 

"  Many  will  remember  him ;  the  boy  of  fifteen, 
who  fought  valiantly  at  Donelson,  —  one  of  the 
bravest  of  Birges's  sharpshooters,  and  whose  an- 
swer to  my  questioning  in  regard  to  joining  the 
army  was  so  well  worthy  of  record. 

"  *  I  joined,  because  I  was  so  young  and  strong, 
and  because  life  would  be  worth  nothing"  to  me  un- 
less I  offered  it  for  my  country! ' "  * 

How  noble  !  There  are  many  strong  men  who 
have  done  nothing  for  their  country,  and  there 
are  some  who  enjoy  all  the  blessings  of  a  good 
government,  who  are  willing  to  see  it  destroyed 
rather  than  lift  a  finger  to  save  it.  Their  names 
shall  go  out  in  oblivion,  but  little  Frankie  Bragg 
shall  live  forever !  His  body  lies  in  the  hospital 

•  Hospital  Incidents,  New  York  Port,  October  J2, 186S 


278         OPERATIONS   AT   ISLAND  NUMBER   TEN. 


What  he 


ground  at  Paducah,  but  the  pure  patriotism  which 
animated  him,  and  the  words  he  uttered,  will 
never  die ! 

The  good  lady  who  took  care  of  him  writes :  — 

'*  I  saw  him  die.  I  can  never  forget  the  pleading 
gaze  of  his  violet  eyes,  the  brow  from  which  ring- 
lets of  light-brown  hair  were  swept  by  strange 
fingers  bathed  in  the  death-dew,  the  desire  for 
some  one  to  care  for  him,  some  one  to  love  him 
hi  his  last  hours.  I  came  to  his  side,  and  he 
clasped  my  hand  in  his  own,  fast  growing  cold 
and  stiff. 

"  '  0, 1  am  going  to  die,  and  there  is  no  one  to 
love  me,'  he  said.  '  I  did  not  think  I  was  going 
to  die  till  now ;  but  it  can't  last  long.  If  my 
sisters  were  only  here ;  but  I  have  no  friends  near 
me  now,  and  it  is  so  hard!' 

"« Frankie,'  I  said,  <  I  know  it  is  hard  to  be 
away  from  your  relatives,  but  you  are  not  friend- 
less ;  I  am  your  friend.  Mrs.  S and  the  kind 

Doctor  are  your  friends,  and  we  will  all  take  care 
of  you.  More  than  this,  God  is  you  friend,  and  he 
is  nearer  to  you  now  than  either  of  us  can  get. 
Trust  him,  my  boy.  He  will  help  you.' 

"  A  faint  smile  passed  over  the  pale  sufferer' i 
features. 

"  <  0,  do  you  think  he  will  ? '  he  asked. 

"  Then,  as  he  held  my  hands  closer,  he  turned 
bis  face  more  fully  toward  me,  and  said :  '  My 


OPEKATIONS   AT   ISLAND   NUMBEK   TEN.         279 
How  he  died. 

mother  taught  me  to  pray  when  I  was  a  very 
little  boy,  and  I  never  forgot  it.  I  have  always 
said  my  prayers  every  day,  and  tried  not  to  be 
bad.  Do  you  taink  God  heard  me  always  ? ' 

"  '  Yes,  most  assuredly.  Did  he  not  promise, 
in  his  good  Book,  from  which  your  mother  taught 
you,  that  he  would  always  hear  the  prayers  of  his 
children  ?  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive.  Don't  you 
remember  this  ?  One  of  the  worst  things  we  can 
do  is  to  doubt  God's  truth.  He  has  promised,  and 
he  will  fulfil.  Don't  you  feel  so,  Frankie  ? ' 

"  He  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  answered, 
slowly :  "  Yes,  I  do  believe  it.  I  am  not  afraid 
to  die,  but  I  want  somebody  to  love  me.' 

"  The  old  cry  for  love,  the  strong  yearning  for 
the  sympathy  of  kindred  hearts.  It  would  not  be 
put  down. 

"  « Frankie,  I  love  you.  Poor  boy  !  you  shall 
not  be  left  alone.  Is  not  this  some  comfort  to 
you?* 

"  *  Do  you  love  me  ?  Will  you  stay  with  me, 
and  not  leave  me  ? ' 

" '  I  will  not  leave  you.  Be  wmforted,  I  will 
stay  as  long  as  you  wish.' 

"  I  kissed  the  pale  forehead  as  if  it  had  been 
that  of  my  own  child.  A  glad  light  flashed  over 
his  face. 

" '  0,  kiss  me  again ;  that  was  given  like  my 
sister.  Mrs.  S ,  won't  you  kiss  me,  too  ?  I 


280         OPERAIIONS  AT  ISLAND  NUMBEB  TEN. 
Where  he  sleeps 

don't  think  it  will  be  so  hard  to  die,  if  you  will 
both  love  me.' 

"  It  did  not  last  long.  With  his  face  nestled 
against  mine,  and  his  large  blue  eyes  fixed  in  per- 
fect composure  upon  me  to  the  last  moment,  he 
breathed  out  his  life." 

So  he  died  for  his  country.  He  sleeps  on  the 
banks  of  the  beautiful  Ohio.  Men  labor  hard  for 
riches,  honor,  and  fame,  but  few,  when  life  is  over, 
will  leave  a  nobler  record  than  this  young  Chris 
tian  patriot 


CHAPTER   XII. 

FBOM   FORT   PILLOW  TO   MEMPHIS. 

The  L«giil»ture  of  Tenoenee!  The  Oouplnton. 

ON  the  6th  of  May,  1861,  the  Legislature  "of 
Tennessee,  in  secret  session,  voted  that  the 
State  should  secede  from  the  Union.  The  next 
day,  Governor  Harris  appointed  three  Commis- 
sioners to  meet  Mr.  Hilliard,  of  Alabama,  who 
had  been  sent  by  Jefferson  Davis  to  make  a 
league  with  the  State.  These  Commissioners 
agreed  that  all  the  troops  of  the  State  should 
be  under  the  control  of  the  President  of  the 
Confederacy.  All  of  the  public  property  and 
naval  stores  and  munitions  of  war  were  also 
turned  over  to  the  Confederacy.  The  people 
had  nothing  to  do  about  it.  The  conspirators 
did  not  dare  to  trust  the  matter  to  them,  for  a 
great  many  persons  in  East  Tennessee  were 
ardently  attached  to  the  Union.  In  Western 
Tennessee,  along  the  Mississippi,  nearly  all  of 
the  people,  on  the  other  hand,  were  in  favor  of 
secession. 

At  Memphis  they  were  very  wild  and  fierce. 
Union  men  were  mobbed,  tarred  and  feathered, 


282  FEOM  FORT   PILLOW  TO  MEMPHIS. 

BartmritlM  at  Memphis  Wh»t  the  Memphis  Avalanche  Mid. 

ridden  on  rails,  had  their  heads  shaved,  were 
robbed,  knocked  down,  and  warned  to  leave  the 
place  or  be  hung.  One  man  was  headed  up  in 
a  hogshead,  and  rolled  into  the  river,  because  he 
stood  up  for  the  Union !  Memphis  was  a  hotbed  of 
secessionists  ;  it  was  almost  as  bad  as  Charleston. 

A  Memphis  newspaper,  of  the  6th  of  May, 
said :  — 

"  Tennessee  is  disenthralled  at  last.  Freedom 
has  again  crowned  her  with  a  fresh  and  fadeless 
wreath.  She  will  do  her  entire  duty.  Great 
sacrifices  are  demanded  of  her,  and  they  will  be 
cheerfully  made.  Her  blood  and  treasure  are 
offered  without  stint  at  the  shrine  of  Southern 
freedom.  She  counts  not  the  cost  at  which  in- 
dependence may  be  bought.  The  gallant  volun- 
teer State  of  the  South,  her  brave  sons,  now  rush- 
ing to  the  standard  of  the  Southern  Confederacy, 
will  sustain,  by  their  unflinching  valor  and  death- 
less devotion,  her  ancient  renown  achieved  on  so 
many  battle-fields. 

"  In  fact,  our  entire  people  —  men,  women,  and 
children  —  have  engaged  in  this  fight,  and  are 
animated  by  the  single  heroic  and  indomitable 
resolve  to  perish  rather  than  submit  to  the  des- 
picable invader  now  threatening  us  with  subjuga- 
tion. They  will  ratify  the  ordinance  of  secession 
amid  the  smoke  and  carnage  of  battle ;  they  will 
write  out  their  indorsement  of  it  with  the  blood 


FROM  FORT   PILLOW   TO  MEMPHIS.  283 

"Tearing  down  the  >Ug. It»  Burtml. BuUdlng  the  QnnboaU. 

of  their  foe ;  they  will  enforce  it  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet  and  sword. 

"  Welcome,  thrice  welcT^a,  glorious  Tennessee, 
to  the  thriving  family  of  Southern  Confederate 
States ! "  * 

On  the  same  day  the  citizens  of  Memphis  tore 
down  the  Stars  and  Stripes  from  its  staff  upon 
the  Court-House,  formed  a  procession,  and  with  a 
band  of  music  bore  the  flag,  like  a  corpse,  to  a 
pit,  and  buried  it  hi  mock  solemnity.  They  went 
into  the  public  square,  where  stands  the  statue  of 
General  Jackson,  and  chiselled  from  its  pedestal 
his  memorable  words  :  "  The  Federal  Union,  - 
it  must  be  preserved."  They  went  to  the  river 
bank,  and  seized  all  the  steamboats  they  could 
lay  their  hands  upon  belonging  to  Northern 
men. 

They  resolved  to  build  a  fleet  of  gunboats, 
which  would  ascend  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  Cin- 
cinnati, and  Pittsburg,  and  compel  the  people 
of  those  cities  to  pay  tribute,  for  the  privilege  of 
navigating  the  river  to  the  Gulf. 

The  entire  population  engaged  in  the  enter- 
prise. The  ladies  held  fairs  and  gave  their 
jewelry.  The  citizens  organized  themselves  into 
a  gunboat  association.  When  the  boats  were 
launched,  the  ladies,  with  appropriate  ceremo- 
nies, dedicated  them  to  the  Confederacy.  They 

*  Memphis  Avalanche. 


284  FBOM   fOBT   PILLOW   TO  MEMPHIS, 

fort  Pillow.  Commodore  Davit.  Colonel  fillet's  Rams. 

urged  their  husbands,  brothers,  sons,  and  friends 
to  enlist  in  the  service,  and  the  young  man  who 
hesitated  received  prints  of  hoop-skirts,  petti- 
coats, and  other  articles  of  female  wearing  ap- 
parel. 

Eight  gunboats  were  built.  Commodore  Hollins, 
as  you  have  seen,  commanded  thorn.  He  attempted 
to  drive  back  General  Pope  at  New  Madrid,  but 
failed.  He  went  to  New  Orleans,  and  Captain 
Montgomery  was  placed  in  command. 

When  Commodore  Foote  and  General  Pope 
took  Island  No.  10,  those  that  escaped  of  the 
Rebels  fell  back  to  Fort  Pillow,  about  forty  miles 
above  Memphis.  It  was  a  strong  position,  and 
Commodore  Foote  made  but  little  effort  to  take 
it,  but  waited  for  the  advance  of  General  Hal- 
leek's  army  upon  Corinth.  While  thus  waiting, 
one  foggy  morning,  several  of  the  Rebel  gunboats 
made  a  sudden  attack  upon  the  Cincinnati,  and 
nearly  disabled  her  before  they  were  beaten  back. 
Meanwhile,  Commodore  Foote,  finding  that  his 
wound,  received  at  Donelson,  was  growing  worse, 
was  recalled  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and 
Commodore  Charles  Henry  Davis,  of  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts,  was  placed  in  command. 

Besides  the  gunboats  on  the  Mississippi,  was 
Colonel  Ellet's  fleet  of  rams,  —  nine  in  all.  The> 
were  old  steamboats,  with  oaken  bulwarks  three 
feet  thick,  to  protect  the  boilers  and  engines. 


FROM   FOBT   PILLOW  TO  MEMPHIS.  285 


Krent*  at  Fort  Pillow. 


Their  bows  had  been  strengthened  with  stout 
timbers  and  iron  bolts,  and  they  had  iron  prows 
projecting  under  water.  They  carried  no  cannon, 
but  were  manned  by  sharpshooters.  There  were 
loop-holes  through  the  timbers  for  the  riflemen. 
The  pilot-house  was  protected  by  iron  plates. 
They  joined  the  fleet  at  Fort  Pillow. 

The  river  is  very  narrow  in  front  of  the  fort,  - 
not  more  than  a  third  of  its  usual  width.  It  makes 
a  sharp  bend.  The  channel  is  deep,  and  the  cur- 
rent rushes  by  like  a  mill-race.  The  Tennessee 
shore  was  lined  with  batteries  on  the  bluff,  which 
made  it  a  place  much  stronger  than  Columbus  or 
Island  No.  10.  But  when  General  Beauregard 
was  forced  to  evacuate  Corinth,  the  Rebels  were 
also  compelled  to  leave  Fort  Pillow.  For  two  or 
three  days  before  the  evacuation,  they  kept  up  a 
heavy  fire  upon  the  fleet. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  —  a  hot,  sultry  day,  — just 
before  night,  a  huge  bank  of  clouds  rolled  up  from 
the  south.  There  had  been  hardly  a  breath  of  air 
through  the  day,  but  now  the  wind  blew  a  hurri- 
cane. The  air  was  filled  with  dust,  whirled  up 
from  the  sand-bars.  "When  the  storm  was  at  its 
height,  I  was  surprised  to  see  two  of  the  rams  run 
down  past  the  point  of  land  which  screened  them 
from  the  batteries,  vanishing  from  sight  in  the 
distant  cloud.  They  went  to  ascertain  what  the 
Rebels  were  doing.  There  was  a  sudden  waking 


286  FROM   FORT   PILLOW  TO  MEMPHIS. 

Betel  Gunboat  gives  a  Challenge.  The  Rebel*  born  their  Barrack*. 

up  of  heavy  guns.  The  batteries  were  in  a  blaze. 
The  cloud  was  thick  and  heavy,  and  the  rami 
returned,  but  the  Rebel  cannon  still  thundered, 
throwing  random  shots  into  the  river,  two  or 
three  at  a  time,  firing  as  if  the  Confederacy  had 
tons  of  ammunition  to  spare. 

The  dust-cloud,  with  its  fine,  misty  rain,  rolled 
away.  The  sun  shone  once  more,  and  bridged 
the  river  with  a  gorgeous  arch  of  green  and  gold, 
which  appeared  a  moment,  and  then  faded  away, 
as  the  sun  went  down  behind  the  western  woods. 
While  we  stood  admiring  the  scene,  a  Rebel 
steamer  came  round  the  point  to  see  what  we 
were  about.  It  was  a  black  craft,  bearing  the 
flag  of  the  Confederacy  at  her  bow.  She  turned 
leisurely,  stopped  her  wheels,  and  looked  at  us 
audaciously.  The  gunboats  opened  fire.  The 
Rebel  steamer  took  her  own  time,  unmindful 
of  the  shot  and  shell  falling  and  bursting  all 
around  her,  then  slowly  disappeared  beyond  the 
headland.  It  was  a  challenge  for  a  fight.  It 
was  not  accepted,  for  Commodore  Davis  was  not 
disposed  to  be  cut  up  by  the  shore-batteries. 

The  next  day  there  were  lively  times  at  the 
fort.  A  cannonade  was  kept  up  on  Commodore 
Davis's  fleet,  which  was  vigorously  answered. 
We  little  thought  that  this  was  to  blind  us  to 
what  was  going  on.  At  sunset  the  Rebels  set 
fire  to  their  barracks.  Fhere  were  great  pillart 


FBOM   FO.  .    i 


Kracuation  of  the  Fort.  The  Steamer  Borereiffn. 

of  flame  and  smoke  in  and  around  the  fort.  The 
southern  sky  was  all  aglow.  Occasionally  there 
were  flashes  and  explosions,  sudden  puffs  of 
smoke,  spreading  out  like  flakes  of  cotton  or 
fleeces  of  white  and  crimson  wool.  It  was  a 
gorgeous  sight. 

In  the  morning  we  found  that  the  Rebels  had 
gone,  spiking  their  cannon  and  burning  their  sup- 
plies. That  which  had  cost  them  months  of  hard 
labor  was  abandoned,  and  the  river  was  open  to 
Memphis. 

On  the  5th  of  June,  Commodore  Davis's  fleet 
left  Fort  Pillow  for  Memphis.  I  was  sitting  at 
dinner  with  the  Commodore  and  Captain  Phelps, 
on  board  the  Benton,  when  an  orderly  thrust  his 
head  into  the  cabin,  and  said,  "  Sir,  there  is  a  fine 
large  steamer  ahead  of  us." 

We  are  on  deck  in  an  instant.  The  boat- 
swain is  piping  all  hands  to  quarters.  There  is 
greit  commotio] 

"Out  with  tk     gi          Qi    k!       hot      Lie 
ten-int  Bishop.        :.«        re  •    -s  £      3  t!      rop 
the  trucks  creak,  «nd      c.  grc-xt  el     3n-ii    -  gu  t 
already  loaded,  is  out  in  a  twinkling.     Men  are 
bringing  up  shot  and  shell.     The  deck  is  clearing 
of  all  superfluous  furniture. 

There  she  is,  a  mile  distant,  a  beautiful  steamer, 
nead  up-stream.  She  sees  us,  and  turns  her  bow. 
Her  broadside  comes  round,  and  we  read  "  Sover 


288  FROM   FORT   PILLOW   TO  MEMPHIS 

Chase  for  the  Sovereign.  The  Spitfire  in  Pomrit 

eign"  upon  her  wheelhonse.  We  are  on  the 
upper  deck,  and  the  muzzle  of  the  eleven-inch 
gun  is  immediately  beneath  us.  A  great  flash 
comes  in  our  faces.  We  are  in  a  cloud,  stifled, 
stunned,  gasping  for  breath,  our  ears  ringing ; 
but  the  cloud  is  blown  away,  and  we  see  the  shot 
throw  up  the  water  a  mile  beyond  the  Sovereign. 
Glorious !  We  will  have  her.  Another,  not  so 
good.  Another,  still  worse. 

The  Louisville,  Carondelet,  and  Cairo  open  fire. 
But  the  Sovereign  is  a  fast  sailer,  and  is  increasing 
the  distance. 

"  The  Spitfire  will  catch  her  !  "  says  the  pilot. 
A  wave  of  the  hand,  and  the  Spitfire  is  alongside, 
running  up  like  a  dog  to  its  master.  Lieutenant 
Bishop,  Pilot  Bixby,  and  a  gun  crew  jump  on 
board  the  tug,  which  carries  a  boat  howitzer. 
Away  they  go,  the  tug  puffing  and  wheezing, 
as  if  it  had  the  asthma. 

"  Through  the  chute  !  "  shouts  Captain  Phelps. 
Chute  is  a  French  word,  meaning  a  narrow  pas- 
sage, not  the  main  channel  of  the  river.  The 
Sovereign  is  in  the  main  channel,  but  the  Spit- 
fire has  the  shortest  distance.  The  tug  cuts  the 
water  like  a  knife.  She  comes  out  just  astern 
of  the  steamer. 

Bang !  goes  the  howitzer.  The  shot  falls  short. 
Bang !  again  in  a  twinkling.  Better.  Bang !  It 
goes  over  the  Sovereign. 


FROM   FORT   PILLOW   TO   MEMPHIS.  289 

The  Capture.  Burning  CottonT 

"  Hurrah !  Bishop  will  get  her  !  "  The  crev* 
of  the  gunboats  dance  with  delight,  and  swing 
their  caps.  Bang !  Right  through  her  cabin. 
The  Sovereign  turns  towards  the  shore,  and  runs 
plump  against  the  bank.  The  crew,  all  but  the 
cook,  take  to  the  woods,  and  the  steamer  it 
ours. 

It  would  astonish  you  to  see  how  fast  a  well- 
drilled  boat's-crew  can  load  and  fire  a  howitzer. 
Commodore  Foote  informed  me  that,  when  he 
was  in  the  China  Sea,  he  was  attacked  by  the 
natives,  and  his  boat's-crew  fired  four  times  a 
minute ' 

The  cuase  for  the  Sovereign  was  very  exciting, 
—  more  so  than  any  horse-race  I  ever  saw. 

The  crew  on  board  the  Sovereign  had  been 
stopping  at  all  the  farm-houses  along  the  river, 
setting  fire  to  the  cotton  on  the  plantations. 
They  did  it  in  the  name  of  the  Confederate  gov- 
ernment, that  it  might  not  fall  into  the  hands 
of  -.he  Yankees.  In  a  great  many  places  they  had 
rolled  it  into  the  river,  and  the  stream  was  cov 
ered  with  white  flakes.  The  bushes  were  lined 
with  it. 

As  soon  as  the  people  along  the  banks  saw  the 
Federal  steamboats,  they  went  to  work  to  save 
their  property.  Some  of  them  professed  to  be 
Union  men.  I  conversed  with  an  old  man,  who 
was  lame,  and  could  hardly  hobble  round.  He 
i*  • 


290  FKOM  FOKT  PILLOW  TO   MEMPHIS. 

The  two  Pilot*.  At 

•poke  bitterly  against  Jeff  Davis  for  burning  his 
cotton  and  stealing  all  his  property. 

While  descending  the  river,  we  saw  a  canoe, 
containing  two  men,  push  out  from  a  thick  cane- 
brake.  They  came  up  to  the  Benton.  We  thought 
they  were  Rebels,  at  first,  but  soon  saw  they  were 
two  pilots  belonging  to  the  fleet,  who  had  started 
the  day  before  for  Vicksburg,  to  pilot  Commodore 
Farragut's  fleet  to  Memphis.  They  had  been  con- 
cealed during  the  day,  not  daring  to  move.  The 
evacuation  of  Fort  Pillow  rendered  it  unnecessary 
for  them  to  continue  the  voyage.  They  said  that 
eight  Rebel  gunboats  were  a  short  die:. .nee  be- 
low us. 

We  moved  on  slowly,  and  came  to  anchor  about 
nine  o'clock,  near  a  place  called  by  all  the  rivet 
men  Paddy's  Hen  and  Chickens,  about  two  milei 
above  Memphis 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE   NAVAL   FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS. 

~  Commodore  Montgomery 'i  Speech.  Excitement  at  Memphto. 

ON  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  June,  wuile  *re 
were  lying  above  Memphis,  Commodore 
Montgomery,  commanding  the  fleet  of  Rebel 
gunboats  built  by  the  citizens  and  ladies  of 
Memphis,  was  making  a  speech  in  the  Gayoso 
Hall  of  that  city.  There  was  great  excitement. 
It  was  known  at  noon  that  Fort  Pillow  was  evac- 
uated. The  stores  were  immediately  closed. 
Some  people  commenced  packing  up  their  goods 
to  leave,  —  expecting  that  the  city  would  be 
burned  if  the  Yankees  obtained  possession.  Com- 
modore Montgomery  said :  — 

"  I  have  no  intention  of  retreating  any  farther. 
I  have  come  here,  that  you  may  see  Lincoln's  gun- 
boats sent  to  the  bottom  by  the  fleet  which  you 
built  and  manned." 

The  rabble  cheered  him,  and  believed  bis 
words.  On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  one  of  the 
newspapers  assured  the  people  that  the  Federal 
fleet  would  not  reach  the  city.  It  said  :  — 

"  All  obstructions  to  their  progress  are  not  yet 


THE  NAVAL  FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS. 


BxpecUttoni  of  the  People.  Petition  of  Commodore  D*Tto. 

removed,  and  probably  will  not  be.  The  prospect 
is  very  good  for  a  grand  naval  engagement  which 
shall  eclipse  anything  ever  seen  before.  There 
are  many  who  would  like  the  engagement  to 
occur,  who  do  not  much  relish  the  prospect  of  its 
occurring  very  near  the  city.  They  think  deeper 
water  and  scope  and  verge  enough  for  such  an 
encounter  may  be  found  farther  up  the  river. 
All,  however,  are  rejoiced  to  learn  that  Memphis 
will  not  fall  till  conclusions  are  first  tried  on 
water,  and  at  the  cannon's  mouth."* 

I  was  awake  early  enough  to  see  the  brighten- 
ing of  the  morning.  Never  was  there  a  lovelier 
daybreak.  The  woods  were  full  of  song-birds. 
The  air  was  balmy.  A  few  light  clouds,  fringed 
with  gold,  lay  along  the  eastern  horizon. 

The  fleet  of  five  gunboats  was  anchored  in  a 
line  across  the  river.  The  Benton  was  nearest 
the  Tennessee  shore,  next  was  the  Carondelet, 
then  the  Louisville,  St.  Louis,  and,  lastly,  the 
Cairo.  Near  by  the  Cairo,  tied  up  to  the  Arkan- 
sas shore,  were  the  Queen  City  and  the  Monarch, 
—  two  of  Colonel  Ellet's  rams.  The  tugs  Jessie 
Benton  and  Spitfire  hovered  near  the  Benton, 
Commodore  Davis's  flag-ship.  It  was  their  place 
to  be  within  call,  to  carry  orders  to  the  other 
boats  of  the  fleet. 

Before  sunrise  the  anchors  were  up,  and  the 

•  Memphis  Avalanche.  Jane  6,  1863 


THE   NAVAL   FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS.  293 

Th«  BeeonnolMHioe.  The  Crowd  OB  the  Show. 

boats  kept  their  position  in  the  stream  by  the 
slow  working  of  the  engines. 

Commodore  Davis  waved  his  hand,  and  the 
Jessie  Benton  was  alongside  the  flag-ship  in  a 
moment. 

"  Drop  down  towards  the  city,  and  see  if  you 
can  discover  the  Rebel  fleet,"  was  the  order. 

I  jumped  on  board  the  tug.  Below  us  was  the 
city.  The  first  rays  of  the  sun  were  gilding  the 
church-spires.  A  crowd  of  people  stood  upon  the 
broad  levee  between  the  city  and  the  river.  They 
were  coming  from  all  the  streets,  on  foot,  on 
horseback,  in  carriages, — men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren,—  ten  thousand,  to  see  Lincoln's  gunboats 
sent  to  the  bottom.  Above  the  court-house,  and 
from  flagstaff's,  waved  the  flag  of  the  Confederacy. 
A  half-dozen  river  steamers  lay  at  the  landing, 
but  the  Rebel  fleet  was  not  in  sight.  At  our  right 
hand  was  the  wide  marsh  on  the  tongue  of  land 
where  Wolfe  River  empties  into  the  Mississippi. 
Upon  our  left  were  the  cotton-trees  and  button- 
woods,  and  the  village  of  Hopedale  at  the  termi- 
nus of  the  Little  Rock  and  Memphis  Railroad. 
We  dropped  slowly  down  the  stream,  the  tug 
floating  in  the  swift  current,  running  deep  and 
strong  as  it  sweeps  past  the  city. 

The  crowd  increased.  The  levee  was  black 
with  the  multitude.  The  windows  were  filled. 
The  flat  roofs  of  the  warehouses  were  covered 


294  THE  NAVAL   FIGHT   AT   ME 

The  Rebel  Fleet  take  Portion.  Tb«  Line  oC  B»ttl«. 

wfth  the  excited  throng,  which  surged  to  and  "fro 
as  we  upon  the  tug  came  down  into  the  bend, 
almost  within  talking  distance. 

Suddenly  a  boat  came  out  from  the  Arkansas 
shore,  where  it  had  been  lying  concealed  from 
view  behind  the  forest, — another,  another,  eight  of 
them.  They  formed  in  two  lines,  in  front  of  the 
city. 

Nearest  the  city,  in  the  front  line,  was  the  Gen- 
eral Beauregard ;  next,  the  Little  Rebel ;  then  the 
General  Price  and  the  Sumter.  In  the  second 
line,  behind  the  Beauregard,  was  the  General  Lov- 
ell ;  behind  the  Little  Rebel  was  the  Jeff  Thomp- 
son ;  behind  the  General  Price  was  the  General 
Bragg ;  and  behind  the  Sumter  was  the  Van  Dora. 

These  boats  were  armed  as  follows :  — 

General  Beauregard,  4  guns. 
Little  Rebel  (flag-ship),  2      " 

General  Price,  *      " 

Sumter, 

General  Lovell,  i 
General  Thompson, 
General  Bragg,  3 

General  Van  Dorn,  _4      " 

Total,  28 

The  guns  were  nearly  all  rifled,  and  were  of 
long  range.  They  were  pivoted,  and  could  be 
whirled  in  all  directions.  The  boilers  of  the  boata 


THE   NAVAL   FIGHT   AT    MEMPHIS. 


295 


The  Position  at  Memphis. 


were  casemated  and  protected  by  iron  plates,  but 
the  guns  were  exposed. 


1ULJL. 


NAVAL  FIGHT  AT  MEMPHIS,  June  6, 


1  Federal  Gunboats. 

2. 2  General  Beauregard. 

3. 3  Little  Rebel. 
4,  4  General  Price. 
5, 5  Sumter. 

6,  6  General  Lovell. 


7,  7  General  Thompson. 

8,  8  General  Bragg. 

9,  9  General  Van  Dorn. 
Q  Queen  City. 

M  Monarch. 


The  accompanying  diagram  will  show  you  the 
position  of  both  fleets  at  the  beginning  and  at  the 
•loco  of  the  engagement. 


296  THE  NAVAL  FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS. 

Bertn*  to  Qnarten.  Clearing  the  Deck.  Breaktut. 

Slowly  and  steadily  they  came  into  line.  The 
Little  Rebel  moved  through  the  fleet,  and  Com- 
modore Montgomery  issued  his  orders  to  each 
captain  in  person. 

The  Benton  and  St.  Louis  dropped  down  to- 
wards the  city,  to  protect  the  tug.  A  signal 
brought  us  back,  and  the  boats  moved  up-stream 
again,  to  the  original  position. 

There  was  another  signal  from  the  flag-ship, 
and  then  on  board  all  the  boats  there  was  a 
shrill  whistle.  It  was  the  boatswain  piping  all 
hands  to  quarters.  The  drummer  beat  his  roll, 
and  the  marines  seized  their  muskets.  The  sail- 
ore  threw  open  the  ports,  ran  out  the  guns, 
brought  up  shot  and  shells,  stowed  away  furni 
ture,  took  down  rammers  and  sponges,  seized 
their  handspikes,  stripped  off  their  coats,  rolled 
up  their  sleeves,  loaded  the  cannon,  and  stood  by 
their  pieces.  Cutlasses  and  boarding-pikes  were 
distributed.  Last  words  were  said.  They  waited 
for  orders. 

"  Let  the  men  have  their  breakfasts,"  was  the 
order  from  the  flag-ship. 

Commodore  Davis  believed  in  fighting  on  full 
stomachs.  Hot  coffee,  bread,  and  beef  were  car- 
ried round  to  the  men. 

The  Rebel  fleet  watched  us  awhile.  The  crowd 
upon  the  shore  increased.  Perhaps  they  thought 
the  Yankees  did  not  dare  to  fight.  At  length 
the  Rebel  fleet  began  to  move  up-stream. 


THE  NAVAL   FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS.  297 

The  Beene.  The  flrrt  Shot 

"Round  to;  head  down-stream;  keep  in  line 
with  the  flag-ship,"  was  the  order  which  we  on 
board  the  Jessie  Benton  carried  to  each  boat  of 
the  line.  We  returned,  and  took  our  position 
between  the  Benton  and  Carondelet. 

I  stood  on  the  top  of  the  tug,  beside  the  pilot- 
house. Stand  with  me  there,  and  behold  the 
scene.  The  sun  is  an  hour  high,  and  its  bright 
rays  lie  in  a  broad  line  of  silver  light  upon  the 
eddying  stream.  You  look  down  the  river  to 
the  city,  and  behold  the  housetops,  the  windows, 
the  levee,  crowded  with  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren. The  flag  of  the  Confederacy  floats  defi- 
antly. The  Rebel  fleet  is  moving  slowly  towards 
us.  A  dense  cloud  of  smoke  rolls  up  from  the 
chimneys  of  the  steamers,  and  floats  over  the 
city. 

There  is  a  flash,  a  puff  from  the  Little  Rebel, 
a  sound  of  something  unseen  in  the  air,  and  a 
column  of  water  is  thrown  up  a  mile  behind  us. 
A  second  shot,  from  the  Beauregard,  falls  beside 
the  Benton.  A  third,  from  the  Price,  aimed  at 
the  Carondelet,  misses  by  a  foot  or  two,  and 
dashes  up  the  water  between  the  Jessie  Benton 
and  the  flag-ship.  It  is  a  sixty-four-pounder. 
If  it  had  struck  us,  our  boat  would  have  been 
splintered  to  kindlings  in  an  instant. 

Commodore  Montgomery  sees  that  the  boats 
of  the  Federal  fleet  have  their  iron-plated  bow? 
is* 


298  THE  NAVAL   FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS 

The  Bopfr. The  Cannonade! 

up-stream.  He  comes  up  rapidly,  to  crush  them 
at  the  stern,  where  there  are  no  iron  plates.  A 
signal  goes  up  from  the  Benton,  and  the  broad- 
sides begin  to  turn  towards  the  enemy.  The 
crowd  upon  the  levee  think  that  the  Federal 
boats  are  retreating,  and  hurrah  for  Commodore 
Montgomery. 

There  has  been  profound  silence  on  board  the 
Union  gunboats.  The  men  are  waiting  for  the 
word.  Jt  comes. 

"  Open  fire,  and  take  close  quarters." 

The  Cairo  begins.  A  ten-inch  shot  screams 
through  the  air,  and  skips  along  the  water  towards 
the  Little  Rebel.  Another,  from  the  St.  Louis. 
A  third,  from  the  Louisville.  Another,  from  the 
Carondelet,  and  lastly,  from  the  Benton.  The 
gunners  crouch  beside  their  guns,  to  track  the 
shot.  Some  are  too  high,  some  too  low.  There 
is  an  answering  roar  from  all  the  Rebel  boats. 
The  air  is  full  of  indescribable  noises.  The  water 
boils  and  bubbles  around  us.  It  is  tossed  up  in 
columns  and  jets.  There  are  sudden  flashes 
overhead,  explosions,  and  sulphurous  clouds,  and 
whirring  of  ragged  pieces  of  iron.  The  uproar 
increases.  The  cannonade  reverberates  from  the 
high  bluff  behind  the  city  to  the  dark-green  forest 
upon  the  Arkansas  shore,  and  echoes  from  bend 
to  bend. 

The  space  between  the  fleets  is  gradually  lessen 


THE  NAVAL   FIGHT  AT   MEMPHIS.  299 

Ho*  y»u  feel, The  Queen  preparing  for  the  light. 

ing.  The  Yankees  are  not  retreating,  but  ad- 
vancing. A  shot  strikes  the  Little  Rebel.  One 
tears  through  the  General  Price.  Another  through 
the  General  Bragg.  Commodore  Montgomery  is 
above  the  city,  and  begins  to  fall  back.  He  is  not 
ready  to  come  to  close  quarters.  Fifteen  minutes 
pass  by,  but  it  seems  not  more  than  two.  How 
fast  one  lives  at  such  a  time  !  All  of  your  senses 
are  quickened.  You  see  everything,  hear  every- 
thing. The  blood  rushes  through  your  veins. 
Your  pulse  is  quickened.  You  long  to  get  at 
the  enemy, —  to  sweep  over  the  intervening  space, 
lay  your  boat  alongside,  pour  in  a  broadside,  and 
knock  them  to  pieces  in  a  twinkling  !  You  care 
nothing  for  the  screaming  of  the  shot,  the  burst- 
ing of  the  shells.  You  have  got  over  all  that 
You  have  but  one  thought,  —  to  tear  down  that 
hateful  flaunting  flag,  to  smite  the  enemies  of  your 
country  into  the  dust ! 

While  this  cannonade  was  going  on,  I  noticed 
the  two  rams  casting  loose  from  the  shore.  I 
heard  the  tinkle  of  the  engineer's  bell  for  more 
fire  and  a  full  head  of  steam.  The  sharpshooters 
took  their  places.  The  Queen  came  out  from  the 
shelter  of  the  great  cotton  woods,  crossed  the  river, 
and  passed  down  between  the  Beiiton  and  Caron- 
delet.  Colonel  Ellet  stood  beside  the  pilot,  and 
waved  his  hand  to  us  on  board  the  Jessie  Bonton 
The  Monarch  was  a  little  later,  aiid,  instead  of 


300  THE  NAVAL  FIGHT   AT  MEMPHIS. 

The  Course  at  th<s  Queen.         The  Rebel*  concentrate  their  fire  upon  bar. 

following  in  the  wake  of  the  Queen,  passed  be- 
tween the  Cairo  and  the  St.  Louis. 

See  the  Queen !  Her  great  wheels  whirl  up 
clouds  of  spray,  and  leave  a  foaming  path.  She 
carries  a  silver  train  sparkling  in  the  morning 
light.  She  ploughs  a  furrow,  which  rolls  the 
width  of  the  river.  Our  boat  dances  like  a 
feather  on  the  waves.  She  gains  the  intervening 
space  between  the  fleets.  Never  moved  a  Queen 
so  determinedly,  never  one  more  fleet,  —  almost 
leaping  from  the  water.  The  Stars  and  Stripes 
stream  to  the  breeze  beneath  the  black  banner 
unfolding,  expanding,  and  trailing  far  away  from 
her  smoke-stacks.  There  is  a  surging,  hissing, 
and  smothered  screaming  of  the  pentrup  steam 
in  her  boilers,  as  if  they  had  put  on  all  energy 
for  the  moment.  They  had ;  —  flesh,  blood,  bones, 
iron,  brass,  steel,  —  animate  and  inanimate, — 
were  nerved  up  for  the  trial  of  the  hour ! 

Officers  and  men  behold  her  in  astonishment 
and  admiration.  For  a  moment  there  is  silence. 
The  men  stand  transfixed  by  their  guns,  forget- 
ting their  duties.  Then  the  Rebel  gunners,  as 
if  moved  by  a  common  impulse,  bring  their  guns 
to  bear  upon  her.  She  is  exposed  on  the  right, 
on  the  left,  and  in  front.  It  is  a  terrible  cross- 
fire. Solid  shot  scream  past.  Shells  explode 
around  her.  She  is  pierced  through  and  through. 
Her  timbers  crack.  She  quivers  beneath  the 


THE  NAVAL  FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS.  301 

Misses  her  Aim.  Strike*  the  General  Price. 

shock,  but  does  not  falter.  On  —  on  —  faster 
—  straight  towards  the  General  Beauregard. 

The  commander  of  that  vessel  adroitly  avoidi 
the  stroke.  The  Queen  misses  her  aim.  She 
sweeps  by  like  a  race-horse,  receiving  the  fire 
of  the  Beauregard  on  one  side  and  the  Little 
Rebel  on  the  other.  She  comes  round  in  a 
graceful  curve,  almost  lying  down  upon  her 
side,  as  if  to  cool  her  heated  smoke-stacks  in 
the  stream.  The  stern  guns  of  the  Beauregard 
send  their  shot  through  the  bulwarks  of  the 
Queen.  A  splinter  strikes  the  brave  commander, 
Colonel  Ellet.  He  is  knocked  down,  bruised, 
and  stunned  for  a  moment,  but  springs  to  hia 
feet,  steadies  himself  against  the  pilot-house,  and 
gives  his  directions  as  coolly  as  if  nothing  had 
happened. 

The  Queen  passes  round  the  Little  Rebel,  and 
approaches  the  General  Price. 

"  Take  her  aft  the  wheelhouse,"  says  Colonel 
Ellet  to  the  pilot.  The  commander  of  the  Price 
turns  towards  the  approaching  antagonist.  Her 
wheels  turn.  She  surges  ahead  to  escape  the 
terrible  blow.  Too  late.  There  is  a  splinter- 
ing, crackling,  crashing  of  timbers.  The  broad- 
side of  the  boat  is  crushed  in.  It  is  no  more  than 
a  box  of  cards  or  thin  tissue-paper  before  the  ter- 
rible blow. 

There  are  jets  of  flame  and  smoke  from  tht 


302  THE  NAVAL  FIGHT  AT  MEMPHIS. 

The  Sharpshooter*          Surrender  of  the  Price.  The  Qneen  diMbled. 

loopholes  of  the  Queen.  The  sharpshooters  are 
at  it.  You  hear  the  rattling  fire,  and  see  the  crew 
of  the  Price  running  wildly  over  the  deck,  tossing 
their  arms.  The  unceasing  thunder  of  the  can- 
nonade drowns  their  cries.  A  moment,  and  a 
white  flag  goes  up.  The  Price  surrenders. 

But  the  Queen  has  another  antagonist,  the 
Beauregard.  The  Queen  is  motionless,  but  the 
Beauregard  sweeps  down  with  all  her  powers. 
There  is  another  crash.  The  bulwarks  of  the 
Queen  tremble  before  the  stroke.  There  is  a 
great  opening  in  her  hull.  But  no  white  flag  is 
displayed.  There  are  no  cries  for  quarter,  no 
thoughts  of  surrendering.  The  sharpshooters  pick 
off  the  gunners  of  the  Beauregard,  compelling 
them  to  take  shelter  beneath  their  casemates. 

We  who  see  it  hold  our  breaths.  We  are  un- 
mindful of  the  explosions  around  us.  How  will 
it  end  ?  Will  the  Queen  sink  with  all  her  brave 
men  on  board? 

But  her  consort  is  at  hand,  the  Monarch,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Ellet,  brother  of  Colonel  Ellet 
He  was  five  or  ten  minutes  behind  the  Queen  in 
starting,  but  he  has  appeared  at  the  right  moment. 
He,  too,  has  been  unmindful  of  the  shot  and  shell 
falling  around  him.  He  aims  straight  as  an 
arrow  for  the  Beauregard.  The  Beauregard  is 
stiff,  stanch,  and  strong,  but  her  timbers,  planks, 
knees,  and  braces  are  no  more  than  laths  before 


THE   NAVAL    FIGHT    AT    MEMPHIS.  30b 

Tb«  B«»«r^r«rd  dlMbled.  Her  nrrender.  The  Little  BebeL  . 

the  powerful  stroke  of  the  Monarch.  The  sharp- 
shooters pour  in  their  fire.  The  engineer  of 
the  Monarch  puts  his  force-pumps  in  play  and 
drenches  the  decks  of  the  Beauregard  with  scald- 
ing water.  An  officer  of  the  Beauregard  raises  a 
white  cloth  upon  a  rammer.  It  is  a  signal  for 
surrender.  The  sharpshooters  stop  firing.  There 
are  the  four  boats,  three  of  them  floating  help- 
lessly in  the  stream,  the  water  pouring  into  the 
hulls,  through  the  splintered  planking. 

Captain  Ellet  saw  that  the  Queen  was  disabled, 
and  took  her  in  tow  to  the  Arkansas  shore. 
Prompted  by  humanity,  instead  of  falling  upon 
the  other  vessels  of  the  fleet  he  took  the  General 
Price  to  the  shore. 

The  Little  Rebel  was  pierced  through  her  hut 
by  a  half-dozen  shots.  Commodore  Montgomery 
saw  that  the  day  was  lost.  He  ran  alongside  the 
Beauregard,  and,  notwithstanding  the  vessel  had 
surrendered,  took  the  crew  on  board,  to  escape. 
But  a  shot  from  the  Cairo  passed  through  the 
boilers.  The  steam  rushed  out  like  the  hissing 
of  serpents.  The  boat  was  near  the  shore,  and  the 
crew  jumped  into  the  water,  climbed  the  ban*, 
and  fled  to  the  woods.  The  Cairo  gave  them  a 
broadside  of  shells  as  they  ran. 

The  Beauregard  was  fast  settling.  The  Jessie 
Benton  ran  alongside.  All  had  fled  save  th« 
wounded.  There  was  a  pool  of  blood  upon  th« 


804  THE  NAVAL   FIGHT  AT   MEMPHIS. 

8»Tlng  of  an  Officer. Perfidy  of  *  Rebel  Officer.       The  General  LoreO. 

deck.  The  sides  of  the  casemate  were  stained 
with  crimson  drops,  yet  warm  from  the  heart  of  a 
man  who  had  been  killed  by  a  shell. 

" Help,  quick  ! "  was  the  cry  of  Captain  May- 
nadier. 

We  rushed  on  ooard  in  season  to  save  a  wound- 
ed officer.  The  vessel  settled  slowly  to  the  bot- 
tom. 

"  I  thank  you/'  said  the  officer,  "  for  saving 
me  from  drowning.  You  are  my  enemies,  but 
you  have  been  kinder  to  me  than  those  whom  7 
called  my  friends.  One  of  my  brother  officers 
when  he  fled,  had  the  meanness  to  pick  my  pocket 
and  steal  my  watch !  " 

Thus  those  who  begun  by  stealing  public  prop- 
erty, forts,  and  arsenals,  did  not  hesitate  to  violate 
their  honor,  —  fleeing  after  surrendering,  forsak- 
ing their  wounded  comrade,  robbing  him  of  his 
valuables,  and  leaving  him  to  drown  ! 

There  is  no  cessation  of  the  cannonade.  The 
fight  goes  on.  The  Benton  is  engaged  with 
the  General  Lovell.  They  are  but  a  few  rods 
apart,  and  both  within  a  stone's-throw  of  the 
multitude  upon  the  shore. 

Captain  Phelps  stands  by  one  of  the  Benton's 
rifled  guns.  He  waits  to  give  a  raking  shot,  runs 
his  eye  along  the  sights,  and  gives  the  word  to 
live.  The  steel-pointed  shot  enters  the  starboard 
tide  of  the  hull,  by  the  water-line.  Timbers, 


THE  NAVAL  FIGHT  AT  MEMPHIS.          305 

Sinking  of  the  LorelL        The  appalling  Scene.         No  Help  from  Friend*. 


braces,  planks,  the  whole  side  of  the  "boat 
ingly,  are  torn  out. 

The  water  pours  in.  The  vessel  settles  to  the 
guards,  to  the  ports,  to  the  top  of  the  casemate, 
reels,  and  with  a  lurch  disappears.  It  is  the 
work  of  three  minutes. 

The  current  sets  swiftly  along  the  shore.  The 
plummet  gives  seventy-five  feet  of  water.  The 
vessel  goes  down  like  a  lump  of  lead.  Her  terror- 
stricken  crew  are  thrown  into  the  current.  It  is 
an  appalling  sight.  A  man  with  his  left  arm 
torn,  broken,  bleeding,  and  dangling  by  his  side, 
runs  wildly  over  the  deck.  There  is  unspeakable 
horror  in  his  face.  He  beckons  now  to  those  on 
shore,  and  now  to  his  friends  on  board  the  boats. 
He  looks  imploringly  to  heaven,  and  calls  for  help. 
Unavailing  the  cry.  He  disappears  in  the  eddy- 
ing whirlpool.  A  hundred  human  beings  are 
struggling  for  life,  buffeting  the  current,  raising 
their  arms,  catching  at  sticks,  straws,  planks,  and 
timbers.  "  Help  I  help  !  help  !  "  they  cry.  It 
is  a  wild  wail  of  agony,  mingled  with  the  can- 
nonade. 

There  is  no  help  for  them  on  shore.  There, 
within  a  dozen  rods,  are  their  friends,  their  fathers, 
mothers,  brothers,  sisters,  wives,  children,  they 
who  urged  them  to  join  the  service,  who  com- 
pelled them  to  enlist.  All  are  powerless  to  aid 
them! 


306  THE   NAVAL   FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS. 

Humanity  at  the  Crews  of  the  Benton  and  Carondetet.   Rebel  fleet  dlipened. 

They  who  stand  upon  the  shore  behold  those 
whom  they  love  defeated,  crushed,  drowning, 
calling  for  help !  It  is  an  hour  when  heart-strings 
are  wrung.  Tears,  crieL,  prayers,  efforts,  all  are 
unavailing. 

Commodore  Davis  beholds  them.  His  heart  ia 
touched.  "  Save  them,  lads,"  he  says. 

The  crews  of  the  Benton  and  Carondelet  rush 
to  their  boats.  So  eager  are  they  to  save  the 
struggling  men  that  one  of  the  boats  is  swamped 
in  the  launching.  Away  they  go,  picking  up  one 
here,  another  there,  —  ten  or  twelve  in  all.  A 
few  reach  the  shore  and  are  helped  up  the  bank 
by  lookers-on ;  but  fifty  or  sixty  sink  to  rise  no 
more.  How  noble  the  act !  How  glorious ! 
Bright  amid  all  the  distress,  all  the  horror,  all 
the  infamous  conduct  of  men  who  have  forswore 
themselves,  will  shine  forever,  like  a  star  of  heaven, 
ihis  act  of  humanity  ! 

The  General  Price,  General  Beauregard,  Little 
Rebel,  and  General  Lovell — one  half  of  the  Rebel 
fleet — were  disposed  of.  The  other  vessels  at- 
tempted to  flee.  The  Union  fleet  had  swept  stead- 
ily on  in  an  unbroken  line.  Amid  all  the  appall- 
ing scenes  of  the  hour  there  was  no  lull  in  the 
cannonade.  While  saving  those  who  had  lost  all 
power  of  resistance,  there  was  no  cessation  of 
effort  to  crush  those  who  still  resisted. 

A  short  distance  below  the  Little  Rebel,  the 


THE  NAVAL  FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS.  SOT 

Burning <rftl*»  Jeff  ThompMo. 

Jeff  Thompson,  riddled  by  shot,  and  in  flames, 
was  run  ashore.  A  little  farther  down-stream  the 
General  Bragg  was  abandoned,  also  in  flames  from 
the  explosion  of  a  nine-inch  shell,  thrown  by  the 
St.  Louis.  The  crews  leaped  on  shore,  and  fled  to 
the  woods.  The  Sumter  went  ashore,  near  the  Lit- 
tle Rebel.  The  Van  Dora  alone  escaped.  She 
was  a  swift  steamer,  and  was  soon  beyond  reach 
of  the  guns  of  the  fleet. 

The  fight  is  over.  The  thunder  of  the  morn- 
ing dies  away,  and  the  birds  renew  their  singing 
The  abandoned  boats  are  picked  up.  The  Jeff 
Thompson  cannot  be  saved.  The  flames  leap 
around  the  chimneys.  The  boilers  are  heated  to 
redness.  A  pillar  of  fire  springs  upward,  in  long 
lances  of  light.  The  interior  of  the  boat — boilers, 
beams  of  iron,  burning  planks,  flaming  timbers, 
cannon-shot,  shells — is  lifted  five  hundred  feet  in 
air,  in  an  expanding,  unfolding  cloud,  filled  with 
loud  explosions.  The  scattered  fragments  rain 
upon  forest,  field,  and  river,  as  if  meteors  of  vast 
proportions  had  fallen  from  heaven  to  earth,  tak- 
ing fire  in  their  descent.  There  is  a  shock  which 
shakes  all  Memphis,  and  announces  to  the  disap- 
pointed, terror-stricken,  weeping,  humiliated  mul- 
titude that  the  drama  which  they  have  played  so 
madly  for  a  twelvemonth  is  over,  that  retribution 
for  crime  has  come  at  last ! 

Thus  in  an  hour's  time  the   Rebel  fleet  war 


SOS  THE  NAVAL  FIGHT  AT  MEMPHIS. 

K«bel  LOM. 

annihilated.  Commodore  Montgomery  was  to 
have  sent  the  Union  boats  to  the  bottom;  but 
his  expectations  were  not  realized,  his  promises 
not  fulfilled.  It  is  not  known  how  many  men 
were  lost  on  the  Rebel  side,  but  probably  from 
eighty  to  a  hundred.  Colonel  Ellet  was  the  only 
one  injured  on  board  the  Union  fleet.  The  gun- 
boats were  uninjured.  The  Queen  of  the  West 
was  the  only  boat  disabled.  In  striking  contrast 
was  the  damage  to  Montgomery's  fleet :  — 
Sunk,  General  Price,  4  guns. 

"  General  Beauregard,     4     u 

"  General  Lovell,  4     " 

Burned,      Jeff  Thompson,  4     " 

Captured,   General  Bragg,  8     u 

"  Sumter,  8     " 

«  Little  Rebel,  2     « 

24 

The  bow  guns  of  Commodore  Davis's  fleet  only 
were  used  in  the  attack,  making  sixteen  guns  in 
all  brought  to  bear  upon  the  Rebel  fleet.  The 
Cairo  and  St.  Louis  fired  broadsides  upon  the 
crews  as  they  fled  to  the  woods. 

The  retreating  of  the  Rebel  flee,  carried  the 
Union  gunboats  several  miles  below  the  city  be- 
fore the  contest  was  over.  At  ten  o'clock  Com- 
modore Davis  steamed  back  to  the  city.  There 


KAVAL   F1GH1    AT  MEMPHIS.  309 
Ih»  IUf  TJM*  from  to  Otmira. 

stood  the  multitude,  confounded  by  what  had 
taken  place.  A  boat  came  off  from  the  shore, 
pulled  by  two  oarsmen,  and  bringing  a  citizen, 
Dr.  Dickerson,  who  waved  a  white  handkerchief. 
He  was  a  messenger  from  the  Mayor,  tendering 
the  surrender  of  the  city.  There  were  some  men 
in  the  crowd  who  shook  their  fists  at  us,  and  cried, 
"  0  you  blue-bellied  Yankees !  You  devils !  You 
scoundrels  ! "  We  could  bear  it  very  well,  after 
the  events  of  the  morning.  A  few  hurrahed  for 
Jeff  Davis,  but  the  multitude  made  no  demon- 
stration. 

A  regiment  landed,  and  marched  up  Monroe 
Street  to  the  court-house.  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  accompanying  the  soldiers.  The  band  played 
Yankee  Doodle  and  Hail  Columbia.  How  proudly 
the  soldiers  marched !  They  halted  in  front  of 
the  court-house.  An  officer  went  to  tue  top 
of  the  building,  tore  down  the  Rebel  flag,  and 
flung  out  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

Wild  and  hearty  were  the  cheers  of  the  troops. 
The  buried  flag  had  risen  from  its  grave,  to  wave 
forevermore,  —  the  emblem  of  power,  justice,  lib- 
erty, and  law ! 

Thus  the  Upper  Mississippi  was  opened  again 
to  trade  and  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  commerce. 
How  wonderfully  it  was  repossessed.  The  fleet  lost 
not  a  man  at  Island  No.  10,  not  a  man  at  New 
Madrid,  not  a  man  at  Fort  Pillow,  not  a  man  at 


310  THE  NAVAL   FIGHT   AT   MEMPHIS. 

The  Mtalwlppl  opened.  Tnde  follows  the  VU«. 

Memphis,  by  the  fire  of  the  Rebels  !  How  often 
had  we  been  told  that  the  strongholds  of  the 
Rebels  were  impregnable  !  How  often  that  the 
Union  gunboats  would  be  blown  up  by  torpedoes, 
or  sent  to  the  bottom  by  the  batteries  or  by  the 
Rebel  fleet !  How  often  that  the  river  would 
never  be  opened  till  the  Confederacy  was  recog- 
nized as  an  independent  power !  General  Butler 
was  in  possession  of  New  Orleans,  Memphis  was 
held  by  Commodore  Davis,  and  the  mighty  river 
was  all  but  open  through  its  entire  length  to  trade 
and  navigation.  In  one  year  this  was  accom- 
plished. So  moves  a  nation  in  a  career  unpar- 
alleled in  history,  rescuing  from  the  grasp  of 
pirates  and  plunderers  the  garnered  wealth  of 
centuries. 

In  1861,  when  Tennessee  seceded,  the  steamer 
Platte  Valley,  owned  in  St.  Louis,  belonging  to 
the  St.  Louis  and  Memphis  Steamboat  Company, 
was  the  last  boat  permitted  to  leave  for  the  North. 
All  others  were  stolen  by  the  secessionists,  who 
repudiated  the  debts  they  owed  Northern  men. 
The  Platte  Valley,  commanded  by  Captain  Wil- 
cox,  was  in  Commodore  Davis's  fleet  of  transports. 
Captain  Wilcox  recognized  some  of  his  old  ac- 
quaintances in  the  crowd,  and  informed  them 
that  in  a  day  or  two  he  would  resume  his  regu- 
lar trips  between  St.  Louis  and  Memphis  !  They 
were  ready  to  send  up  cargoes  of  sugar  and  cot 


THE  NAVAL   FIGHT   AT  MEMPHIS.  311 

The  Bubllmitj  of  the  Hoar. 

ton.     So  trade  accompanies  the  flag  of  our  coun 
try  wherever  it  goes. 

This  narrative  which  I  have  given  you  is  very 
tame.  Look  at  the  scene  once  more,  —  the  early 
morning,  the  cloudless  sky,  the  majestic  river,  the 
hostile  fleets,  the  black  pall  of  smoke  overhanging 
the  city,  the  forest,  the  stream,  the  moving  of  the 
boats,  the  terrific  cannonade,  the  assembled  thou- 
sands, the  glorious  advance  of  the  Queen  and  the 
Monarch,  the  crashing  and  splintering  of  timbers, 
the  rifle-shots,  the  sinking  of  vessels,  the  cries  of 
drowning  men,  the  gallantry  of  the  crews  of  the 
Benton  and  Carondelet,  the  weeping  and  wailing 
of  the  multitude,  the  burnings,  the  explosions, 
the  earthquake  shock,  which  shakes  the  city  to 
its  foundations  !  These  are  the  events  of  a  single 
hour.  Remember  the  circumstances,  —  that  the 
fight  is  before  the  citv,  before  expectant  thou- 
sands, who  have  been  invited  to  the  entertain- 
ment, —  the  sinking  of  the  Union  fleet,  —  that 
they  are  to  see  the  prowess  of  their  husbands, 
brothers,  and  friends,  that  their  strength  is  utter 
weakness,  —  that,  after  thirteen  months  of  rob- 
bery, outrage,  and  villany,  the  despised,  insulted 
flag  of  the  Union  rises  from  its  burial,  and  waves 
once  more  above  them  in  stainless  purity  and 
glory !  Take  all  under  consideration,  if  you 
wouH  fe«l  the  moral  sublimity  of  the  hour ! 


812  THE  NAVAL  FIGHT   AT  MEMPHIS. 

Conclusion. 

In  these  pages,  my  young  friends,  I  have  en- 
deavored to  make  a  contribution  of  facts  to  the 
history  of  this  great  struggle  of  our  beloved  coun- 
try for  national  life.  It  has  been  my  privilege  to 
see  other  engagements  at  Antietam,  Fredericks- 
burg,  and  Gettysburg,  and  if  this  book  is  accepta- 
ble to  you,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  tell  the  stories  of 
those  terrible  battles. 


THE    IHD 


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